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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29340018">Lost Lights</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/suprgrl1995/pseuds/suprgrl1995'>suprgrl1995</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Disney - All Media Types, Epic Mickey (Video Games), Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Crush at First Sight, Developing Friendships, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, Mystery, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Slow Burn, True Love, Work In Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:29:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29340018</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/suprgrl1995/pseuds/suprgrl1995</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Terra, Aqua, and Ventus have been traveling the Realm of Darkness for awhile now in their pursuit to find Sora. But during a heated fight, Ventus accidentally transports the trio into a world of forgotten things. Do they finally have a lead on where their lost friend has gone, or is it just another dead end? [WIP with inconsistent updates][hinted VenxOC][post KH3, pre Epic Mickey]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aqua &amp; Terra &amp; Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Oswald the Lucky Rabbit &amp; Original Character(s), Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)/Original Character(s), Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Good, The Bad, and The Darkside</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A little something new that's actually the third reboot of a certain original character. This chapter is SUPER long because of important intros, but I don't expect the others to be any longer than 2,000 words after this. I'm not usually a longfic writer. ^^;<br/>Thank you for reading!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nothing was going right for Terra, Aqua, and Ventus at the moment. To be fair though, usual Darksides were not this difficult to deal with. This one, on the other hand, had some sort of immunity to damage that Terra, Aqua, and Ven couldn't figure out. The usual 'hack and slash' method just wasn't working. Between the three of them, Aqua was growing the most frustrated. She had fought plenty of Darksides in her ten year abandonment here in the realm of darkness. So why was this one the most problematic of them all?</p>
<p>"Ven," the Keyblade master shouted at the youngest wielder, "Use Aeroga from underneath the Darkside. See if we can't get it unbalanced."</p>
<p>"Right!" the young man agreed with a quick nod.</p>
<p>With the younger of the trio going to safe place to release the spell, Aqua then commanded to Terra, "Terra- when Ven lets off the spell, I want you to perform Meteor Crash. Try to aim the projectiles to the Darkside's chest."</p>
<p>"Got it." her peer agreed, making quick work to get into position.</p>
<p>The Darkside watched them with disinterest as the trio got into their places. It was when Ventus activated Aeroga that the creature of darkness realized that a greater plan had been formed. Aqua's plan for Ven's spell to disorient the Darkside had worked, but the creature had started to prepare its counterattack. Before Terra could even get a hit in, the Darkside sent a volley of darkness to knock Aqua back, thinking her to be the greater foe for organizing the other two.</p>
<p>Aqua was just able to block the attack, but the shock caused her to get thrown back a good ways from the fight.</p>
<p>"Aqua!" Terra shouted when he saw the Keyblade master go flying from the attack. He quickly ran to her side for help, leaving Ventus to deal with the Darkside alone.</p>
<p>From under his helmet, Ven bit his lip as he tried to think of some way to subdue the creature before it seriously hurt one of them. As his mind thought a bit too fast from the strategies he knew, a soft flicker of light caught his attention. He let out a confused sound as he tried to find the exact location of that flicker. When he zeroed in on it, something in Ven froze for a moment in an absent awe. It called out to him. Despite being dim, something about the light felt encouraging.</p>
<p>"Guys," Ven said from over his shoulder, already readying his Keyblade, "I think there's someone in the realm of light that can help us."</p>
<p>Aqua and Terra had only half heard him, and when they did, they both snapped their heads up in near unison.</p>
<p>"Ven, don't!" Terra and Aqua called out at the same time. But it had been too late, Vent had already pointed his Keyblade at the flicker of light.</p>
<p>A beam of light came from Ventus's Keyblade to the flicking one, and when the two connected, the flicker became a strong beacon that shone down on the three of them. In seconds, the light enveloped the trio and the Darkside before Ven could even utter the word, "Oops."</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>For once, everything is Wasteland was going along just right today. The buzz of activity that surrounded a parade as grand as this energized the air and everyone within in. King Oswald himself had even come out for this special moment. His face beamed while he looked on at the decorations around Mean Street, the crowd that had started to form at the sidewalks, and his own nervous hands wringing inside each other.</p>
<p>"You look quite cheerful today, old chap." the head of Wasteland's many gremlins, Gus, said to the rabbit with a bit of amusement. "Why, I don't think I've seen you this excited for years now."</p>
<p>"Do I?" Oswald wondered, putting his hands up to his face to feel his own smile. "Huh, guess I am. Not every day we have a coronation around here."</p>
<p>"Absolutely true!" the gremlin happily agreed. "And to no finer honor should it go to Sabrina. The girl has given a lot of us hope since the Thinner Disaster."</p>
<p>"Yeah." Oswald thoughtfully agreed. "More hope than she'll ever know."</p>
<p>Meanwhile, on the other end of Mean Street, the last preparations were being made to the numerous floats for the parade. At the last float was Sabrina herself. Her soft lilac ballgown flowed down to her ankles, her raven black hair tied into a modest bun, and the crown on her head glittered under the afternoon sun like stars twinkling in the sky. That is, it could have been, if she would leave it alone for long enough.</p>
<p>"Markus," she said to a gremlin with a burgundy jumpsuit, "I think the crown is loose."</p>
<p>Markus paused in his overview of the parade to take a quick look over Sabrina's crown. He even tapped it a few times to test its durability. It did seem a bit wobbly, but a little adjusting and it otherwise seemed to sit still.</p>
<p>"It should be fine." he said to her. "Unless you plan on moving your head too quickly, or if a Beetleworx goes rogue and hits you on the head!"</p>
<p>Sabrina gave the gremlin a scowl so dark, that he physically recoiled from it.</p>
<p>"I-in any case," he stammered before directing his attention to the rest of the parade goers. "We're clear to go as scheduled. Music will begin to swell in three, two....!"</p>
<p>Sabrina's hands tightly held onto the railing in anticipation for the first jolt of movement. She closed her eyes, bracing herself, before letting out a long, relaxed sigh. Even though they were in two different ends of Mean Street, both Sabrina and Oswald murmured under their breath, "Showtime."</p>
<p>"And we're off!" Markus gleefully declared.</p>
<p>Oswald heard the cheerful music resound throughout Mean Street before he saw the first parade float. There was no denying that he was excited, but he still had his fears. Something was bound to go wrong. A popped wheel off a float, one of the animatronics on the float went into a fritz, or maybe even someone fell off a float and caused the whole shebang to come to a complete standstill. Not that it has ever happened in the history of Wasteland ever, but the feeling that something would happen lingered in a way he couldn't shake off.</p>
<p>Why did they even have so many floats for the coronation anyway? They should have left it at two or three. Having to wait for seven floats to go by was a nerve wracking experience. When the float carrying Sabrina did come into view, Oswald let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding on to. The best place for her to be was at the center of everyone's attention. Sabrina was poised with complete grace as she waved at Wasteland's denizens with a polite smile, even bending a little on occasions to wave at a smaller member of the crowd. The smile on Oswald's face only grew wider. Even if her title as an official princess of Wasteland was more for show than actual position, she still could have run the kingdom with her hands tied behind her back.</p>
<p>Sabrina's float stopped right at the stairs leading to the train station where Oswald waited. The princess-to-be straightened her back a bit as she carefully stepped off the float and to Oswald. For a moment, the old rabbit wanted to yell at her and tell her to hurry up. At the same time, he took time to savor the moment. This was real. It was going to be official. Nothing could ruin this moment.</p>
<p>But then, as if it were wish fulfillment from his earlier fears, the sky started to darken.</p>
<p>Sabrina was almost halfway up the steps until she realized how pale Oswald had gotten. Her attention diverted to the sky where a large swirling vortex of darkness hovered high enough from the building tops. No one was quite sure what to expect until a large creature fell out of it. It hit the ground with enough force that it almost caused an earthquake. If she hadn't been wearing heels, Sabrina probably would have been able to regain her balance right after. Instead, the young woman lost her footing and fell backwards, ungracefully rolling in a fabric heap back down to where the monster had landed.</p>
<p>“Sabrina!” Oswald called out at the wrong time, too paralyzed by his own surprise and fear to reach out for her.</p>
<p>Sabrina was not able to answer him at first- dizzy from tumbling down half a flight of steps. Her crown had come flying off, that much she was certain of. Trying to regather herself, Sabrina looked around for the diamond studded nuisance and noticed it not that far away. A scowl formed on the young woman's face as she got to her feet. She could have had a straight shot at the crown had the hulking creature not crashed its hand between the two of them. Sabrina watched as the hand almost phased into the ground to withdraw a large ball-like essence of darkness. Watching the creature raise its hand and the essence invoked a strong sense of both deja vu and instinct in her.</p>
<p>“Oh no you're not!” she hissed, about to take on a battle stance before she felt a hand take hold of hers. The touch caused a flare of anger until Sabrina looked down to see a very worried rabbit looking back up at her.</p>
<p>“We need to get to safety.” he told her, his tone firm but just as easily worried.</p>
<p>Sabrina made a disgruntled expression as she looked around them. She looked at the creature as it started to make the sky rain with acid-like darkness from the ball it had created. Then she looked out at the citizens of Wasteland, once more running for their lives from an entity no one saw coming. So much for the little hope they held on to.</p>
<p>“The crown!' Sabrina suddenly realized. She wildly looked around for the thing before seeing that it was still unharmed. Once more, Oswald stopped her by holding her hand even tighter.</p>
<p>“It's not the crown I'm worried about right now.” he informed her, his face holding a seriousness that even she could recognize.</p>
<p>For a moment, she just stared at him. The moment was broken when a large chunk of darkness nearly fell on Sabrina. The duo jumped away from each other, but the message had been sent. They needed to get somewhere safe, and quickly. Oswald and Sabrina gave each other a determined nod before quickly heading to the train station.</p>
<p>As the two were once more halfway up the steps leading to the train station, the vortex that the creature had come from started to crackle and hiss. Anyone still in the area had to bring their attention back to it, if only because the sounds were like an angry panther about to strike. Sabrina and Oswald were among these people. In seeing that the vortex was starting to widen, allowing more of who-knew-what into their world, their faces held the same annoyed expression.</p>
<p>"Jiminy Cricket." the two of them cursed in exasperated unison.</p>
<p>The vortex crackled even more before three figures came bursting out of it. They were all dressed in elaborate armor with helmets that hid their faces. The figure with red and golden armor landed right in front of the creature of darkness. The figure with dark grey and deep violet armor landed close to the fire station with a small cartwheel to absorb the shock of the fall. The last figure, almost a head smaller than the other two and donning blue-ish grey and gold armor, all but ungracefully fell from the sky, landing right at Sabrina's feet with a thud.</p>
<p>"Ow..." the grey and gold armored figure groaned as he tried to sit up. He had a hand to his head as he realized the presence of the lilac silk fabric beside him. His head trailed upwards to come almost face to face with a rather wary looking young woman. Parts of her black hair had fallen out of its bun and hung in her face, her pale skin almost glowing in the afternoon light, and her chocolate brown eyes glaring at him with a slowly growing hatred. Even with his helmet on, you could tell the figure had gawked in awe at this new person.</p>
<p>"Ven!" the red armored figure called out, "Are you alright?"</p>
<p>"Huh?" the younger one wondered as he snapped out of his trance. "Y-yeah! I'm coming!" and with that he quickly got to his feet to join the other two.</p>
<p>Terra and Aqua were already targeting each of the Darkside's hands, preventing it from grabbing more wads of darkness to spread. This meant that Ven had the duty of taking out its upper half. Now that the Darkside had been taken out of the realm of darkness, it actually felt like the trio were wearing it down. When they were sure that enough of the creature was damaged, Aqua gave the boys the signal to give one last all out attack. Just as calculated, the Darkside disappeared into a large cloud of smoke, its heart traveling toward the sky before disappearing out of view.</p>
<p>With the threat neutralized, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus renounced their Keyblade armor. That was when they were able to finally catch a breath of fresh air and get a handle of their new surroundings. Aqua was the first to voice her concerns with a small, almost horrified, “This place…”</p>
<p>“What is it Aqua?” Terra asked, worried for his friend based on her past experiences.</p>
<p>But Aqua didn't answer him at first. Instead, she nervously bit her lower lip as she looked around the area. “We… we are in the realm of light, right?" she wondered out loud- more to herself than the boys. "This feels… Something about this place feels… off.”</p>
<p>“What’dya mean?” Ven wondered, hovering closer to Aqua in case she needed some amount of comfort. He didn't notice that Terra was starting to make the same face Aqua had on while he scanned the area as well.</p>
<p>“No, I think Aqua has a point. I can feel it too. There’s a lot of darkness here.”</p>
<p>Ven still could not understand what his friends were getting at. His attention was diverted when he noticed something glittering out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, he saw a rather nice looking princess crown just sitting there on the ground. The young man curiously walked over just to pick it up. The crown had a good bit of weight to it, and it didn't look worse for wear considering that it must have been in the middle of the battle. Ven walked back over as he looked the crown over with an even greater wonder than before. He was about to show it to Terra and Aqua before someone timidly spoke up,</p>
<p>"Um... Thank you for helping us."</p>
<p>The teen looked up to see a black rabbit about King Mickey's size with a human girl that didn't look much older than Ven himself. It was the same girl from before. She didn't look pleased at all- her arms folding in front of her chest in an act of guarding herself. The rabbit next to her seemed a bit more humbled, and maybe just a tad bit embarrassed.</p>
<p>"It wasn't a problem." Aqua replied with a kind smile.</p>
<p>"We brought that monster here," Terra then said, "The least we could do is get rid of it for you."</p>
<p>The rabbit let out a rather disheartened scoff. "Thanks for that." he retorted.</p>
<p>All three of the newcomers recoiled a little, coming to the realization that they had interrupted something important. Ven idly played with the crown in his hands again until he realized that it likely belonged to the girl.</p>
<p>"I think this is yours." he spoke up, presenting the crown expectantly toward her. Even though the girl looked at him, then at the crown, it was the rabbit that came forward to claim it.</p>
<p>"Thank you." the rabbit sighed. With the crown in his hands, he looked at it with a saddened expression before turning around. He started to walk toward the train station, only stopping for a moment at the girl to say, "I'm going to put this away."</p>
<p>The girl gave a curt nod, along with a dark affirmation of, "Alright."</p>
<p>Everyone watched as the rabbit went on his way toward the train station, leaving Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and the girl behind. For awhile, the four of them just stared at each other.</p>
<p>“Gus?” Sabrina finally said, calling out for someone in a tired voice.</p>
<p>The head gremlin appeared right next to her with a little spin. “At your service.” he greeted with a polite bow.</p>
<p>“Could you give these three a tour?” she asked with a slight handwave to the party crashers. She looked back at the train station to give a small sigh before adding, “I need to do damage control.”</p>
<p>“Of course, my dear.” the gremlin agreed with a small smile. Sabrina returned it with a curt nod before starting to make her leave.</p>
<p>"W-wait!" Ven called out. The princess paused for a moment, giving him a dark glare from over her shoulder. Ventus let out a nervous chuckle before asking, "Who are you?"</p>
<p>The glare she gave him only darkened.</p>
<p>"You'll find out eventually." was all she said to him. Without another word, she continued her way into the train station unopposed.</p>
<p>Gus let out a small, dismal sigh before completely bringing his attention to the trio. "Welcome to Wasteland!" he happily said to them. "I am Gremlin Gus, and I'll be your guide today."</p>
<p>"It's a pleasure to meet you Gus." Aqua agreed with a nod. "My name is Aqua, and with me are Terra and Ventus."</p>
<p>"The pleasure is all mine, madam! Let's begin our tour right here in humble Mean Street, shall we? You see, Mean Street is what we call a 'central hub' around these parts. Any other area of Wasteland can easily be accessed from here. The train station that you see in front of you will be your main mode of transportation, I'm afraid. Only creatures such as myself or King Oswald can access the projectors that rest on the north side of Mean Street. It’s in our blood, after all. But that doesn't mean there isn't a ton to explore in the meantime!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Wonderful World Of-</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Sabrina and Oswald have a heart to heart, Terra, Aqua, and Ven continue their tour with Gus, and Chirithy finds someone new.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, so I absolutely did not mean for this to almost be 3k words again. Maybe 2k, but these word counts are ridiculous in my opinion. We'll work our way down eventually. Hopefully. -nervously laughs-</p>
<p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The halls of Dark Beauty were all but second nature to Sabrina as she made her way to the throne room. She assumed he would be in the throne room. At the very least, she hoped he would still be in Dark Beauty. They needed to say something to each other before he hid away in the pile of trash known as Mickeyjunk Mountain- if only she had wore flats instead of her strappy heels. She would have been able to walk faster through the halls for the disheartened rabbit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure enough, there he was, sitting on the large throne as he looked over her crown. Sabrina slowed her pacing down to a normal walk as she moved closer to the throne. Oswald didn't even notice her approach until she was five paces away from him. He looked up at her with a jolt, then let out a soft sigh in realizing it was just her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's just you..." he mumbled under his breath. With a shake of his head, he looked up at her and told her, "You should be getting changed. One wrong rip and that dress is done for."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I </span>
  <span>
    <em>think</em>
  </span>
  <span> this dress has seen more adventure than what was already expected for it." Sabrina scoffed. "What's a little snag in the brickwork anyway than almost being tossed around by some creature of darkness?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite himself, Oswald gave a small smile. "Fair enough." he agreed. But just like that, his face faded into somberness again. Sabrina mirrored him in a way. The silence coming over them like a heavy blanket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina looked over the rabbit to the large stained glass window behind the throne. In it, it featured a depiction of Oswald, his cat wife Ortensia, and a small handful of their bunny children walking up to the recently finished Dark Beauty castle. A bright sun shone over the castle, like a promise of all the good that could be created in Wasteland. Sabrina didn't have a stained glass mural of her own in Dark Beauty- the castle had been finished before she came along. That didn't mean that Oswald hadn't tried to get her a mural, but circumstances just demanded that it wasn't possible. Not that it mattered- Sabrina's attention remained to the cat with a pink skirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"She would have loved the parade." the young woman finally said, if only to distract from the dark atmosphere. It really grated on her nerves sometimes if any of them stewed in it for too long.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>You kidding?" Oswald softly snorted. "She would have hand sown every stitch on that dress if she could. Probably would have made sure every grain of rice had your face on it or something. We'd have to retrain her from going </span><span><em>too</em></span><span> overboard with everything.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>That allowed the two of them to share a small laugh. But it was contained, almost cautious. Oswald looked over Sabrina as a sudden thought came over him that made him grimace.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I want you to stay away from them." he told her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To this, Sabrina cocked a well manicured eyebrow at him. "Didn't plan on getting attached." she informed him, even folding her arms in front of her chest. A smirk worked its way onto her lips before she mused, "But now that you mention it..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sabrina. Please." the old rabbit then begged. His tone surprising the young woman for a moment. "I don't know how long they'll be here, but I can't allow what other trouble they could cause. I don't want to lose you too."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina still looked at him like she was only taking his words with a grain of salt. "That bad?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Keyblade wielders always are." he replied. He looked up at her with a weary expression that made Sabrina hold herself even tighter. Even the air around them even seemed to become that much more tense. Oswald was the first to shake it off before telling her, "Go get changed. We'll have to reschedule the coronation later."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Are you going to be at Mickeyjunk for the rest of the day?" the young woman then ventured to ask. The only answer she received was a sullen shake of the rabbit's head and an even more exhausted sigh. Neither of them spoke as Oswald started to leave the throne room, the crown still in his hands, leaving the princess alone in the deafening silence.</span>
</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And at the end of our tour, we come to the famous Founders statue!" Gus happily told Terra, Aqua, and Ven. "Painstakingly recreated by Oswald, this iconic copper statue looks over the entirety of Mean Street and is a stunning focal point to the projectors around it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ven gave the gremlin a curious glance before looking at the statue. It was well detailed; depicting a man that looked both kind and carrying the essence of a charming salesman, holding hands with a rabbit Ven understood to be this world's king. Their faces were a bit obscured, though. The lower half of the man's body also looked like vines were trying to overtake him instead. It was still pretty cool to look over either way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"With all the main areas covered," Gus then told the group, "I am now open to take any questions that you three may have."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I have a few." Aqua admitted, not wasting any time on the offer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fire away!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Aqua hesitated for a moment. She looked at her friends as she thought over her best course of action. When she turned back to Gus again, Aqua opened her mouth to give her question but was unable to voice anything as she saw something come out from behind the Founders statue. They were like small sprites- more than half were blue, while the rest were a dark green. Any question she would have said was taken back by a surprised, "What are those?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first, the gremlin gave Aqua and odd look before turning to look where she had her attention. When he realized what it was, he let out a hearty laugh. "Those, my dear, are the Guardians of Wasteland!" he informed them. Said Guardians flew over to the group, almost knowing that they had been introduced. They flew around Terra, Aqua, and Ventus like they inspecting them over. "Think of these little creatures as manifestations of Wasteland's heart itself! We rarely see them topside, though. But you can easily run into a few if you were to visit the Rainbow Caverns."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Neat!" Ven happily declared as some of the Guardians swirled around him. His bemusement for the creatures was short lived when one of the green Guardians landed near his wrist- the spot almost immediately causing a shot of pain to run through him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do be careful of the Turps- the green ones." Gus then decided to say. "They tend to have a nasty bite when provoked."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No kidding." the young teen grumbled as he nursed his wrist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What are the blue ones called?" Terra asked as he allowed such Guardian to land on the tip of his finger. He had to immediately shake it off- the sensation it gave was similar to a small buzz of electricity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Tints." came the proud answer. "They tend to be a bit more benevolent, but are far craftier in my opinion." The gremlin gave a small chuckle before adding, "Much like our de facto princess, Sabrina."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the mention of the name, Ven looked right at Gus. "You mean that girl? The one who looked really..." (Ven paused for a moment, almost saying something that likely would have gotten Terra all up in his case, so he instead opted for something else.) "Angry?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The same." Gus agreed with a nod. "Today was meant to be her metaphorical coronation as Oswald's right hand. While there is some interest toward her attitude getting a minor adjustment, she keeps the old chap level-headed despite all the bad that seems to come to our humble world."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How could a coronation be metaphorical?" Terra wondered, almost smirking a bit at the idea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well it's quite simple." the gremlin insisted, holding his back a bit straighter. "You see..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh, if you don't mind," Aqua interjected, "Is it alright if I walk alone for a little bit?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Terra and Ventus looked at her like it was the first time they were aware she could talk. Gus only stared at her because of the sudden interruption.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't see why not." he agreed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"One of us should go with you." Terra objected.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah!" Ven quickly agreed. His movements scaring off the Guardians to somewhere else, not that any of them were paying attention to the sprites at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll be fi-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Take Chirithy!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now it was Aqua's turn to give her friend a funny look. Not going to back down easily, Ven cupped his mouth before shouting "Hey Chirithy!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not even a second later, the Dream Eater hopped into existence in between the trio and Gus. The gremlin recoiled a bit at the sudden addition to their group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You three are just full of surprises..." he remarked under his breath, completely unheard by the others.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, Chirithy looked up at Ven and almost gave him a scowl. "You don't have to shout." it tutted at him. "I'm always nearby in some way or another."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry..." Ven apologized as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "But I need you to do me a favor. Can you stay with Aqua while Terra and I talk to Gus?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chirithy gave a movement that indicated a wary raise of its eyebrow. It eventually let out an almost disappointed sigh before saying, "Sure."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Great!" Ven happily cheered before turning to Aqua, light almost flickering in his eye as he gave her a determined nod. For a moment, all Aqua could do was mirror Chirithy's sigh. She gestured for Chirithy to follow her, to which the Dream Eater did not object from.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now, with that figured out," Gus started back up as Aqua and Chirithy walked away, "Where was I? Ah, yes. The coronation, despite being more symbolic than an actual ceremony, is important because-"</span>
</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua let Chirithy lead them back down the south side of Mean Street. It wasn’t to anywhere in particular, but just walking around was better than sitting and letting the odd atmosphere of this world get to her. It almost surprised Aqua when the Dream Eater made a dead stop when the two passed by the fire station. Chirithy looked at the building with an intense focus. Aqua looked at the Dream Eater, the fire station, then back again with a small tilt of her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is something wrong Chirithy?" Aqua curiously asked the Dream Eater.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Huh? What?" the creature wondered, shaking its head for a moment. "Sorry, I was just distracted by something. It's nothing serious, promise."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua didn't seem so sure by this. She glanced at Chirithy before looking at the fire station. Something about the building did seem a bit off- like there was something hiding behind the facade if you looked close enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Go ahead and follow your instinct, Chirithy. I'll stay right here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?!" the Dream Eater gasped. "Oh no, no, no! I can't do that! Ven wanted me to-!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was when Aqua bent down to look the creature in the eyes. "Chirithy, I mean it." she told it with a voice that was both assertive and encouraging. "If there is something at the fire station that is bothering you, you can go check it out. I'll be fine for a few minutes. Honest."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were many things that Ventus's Dream Eater had come to expect. The outstanding persistence of the people connected to its wielder was the one thing it kept failing to anticipate. Letting out a resigned sigh, it drooped its head in defeat. It picked its head up again to tell Aqua, "I'll be back as soon as possible." before jumping into the air with a flip, disappearing at the apex. Aqua gave the space where the Dream Eater once stood a little smile before she got back up again. If it found anything interesting, it would tell her- she was sure of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In truth, Chirithy wasn’t sure if it should tell her what it was sensing. The Dream Eater must be mistaken. It must just be lonely to even begin to think that it could be </span>
  <span>
    <em>that</em>
  </span>
  <span> assumption after so long. Either way, there was something hiding on the fire station’s second floor. Good thing that being a Dream Eater meant that no locked room was a problem when you could just appear there. But random appearing was a much easier feat when your Keyblade wielder was nearby, or had been in the area before. Since Ven had yet to do either, Chirithy had to do this the old fashioned way- scoping out the lower section of the fire station to gain access to the second floor. It really hoped Aqua actually was still staying nearby. Who knew what Chirithy was going to find if their own sense of awareness was failing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Didn’t even help that the first floor of the fire station was completely dark. Chirithy very carefully moved around, trying to stay near the walls, as it tried to find some clue to get up to the second floor. Like stairs. Or an elevator. Or even a… Chirithy paused as it looked up a long fire pole that very clearly went up to the second floor. The Dream Eater gave a small sound of confusion before placing its hand on the pole. Chirithy then let out a pout as it started to wrap its stubby little hands and feet around the fire pole. You know what they say; curiosity killed the cat. Not that Chirithy was one- not really. But the adage came to mind with a sudden chill up their spine. As cruel as it sounded, Chirithy just wanted to be wrong about this hunch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second floor of the fire station was almost as dark as the first. It took poor Chirithy awhile to even realize that they had found themselves in a closet instead of an actual room. The feeling of something else being on the second floor was even stronger now. Chirithy carefully opened the closet door and almost gasped at the main room. It was an almost full apartment with red carpet and pure white walls. Most of the decor was sparse, but there were still two red couches on the side, matching curtains adorning the windows, and even two sitting chairs with a small, round side table in the main nook. And, sure enough, Chirithy saw what it had sensed all the way from outside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another Chirithy.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>I wondered how long it would take for you to show up.” the other Chirithy bemused from its spot. It sat at one of the sitting chairs, almost like a plush animal instead of a living creature. It titled its head at Chirithy with a rather bored demeanor. “This was supposed to be a day of happiness, and your little party ruined it.”</span></p>
<p>“<span>Who is your wielder?” Ven’s Chirithy asked, hoping that it didn’t sound too demanding. For this, the new Chirithy just laughed.</span></p>
<p>“<span>You mean you can’t tell?” it teased. “But I guess, after the Keyblade War, we all became a dying breed. And it’s not like all us Chirithy really knew each other unless our wielders crossed paths. Besides you and me, I wonder if there even are other Chirithy left.” There was a pause, and then the small question of, “Are there?”</span></p>
<p>“<span>I don’t know.” Ven’s Chirithy admitted. “I’ve been disconnected from mine for a long time- if there are any more of us, then I am not the Chirithy to know that.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>The new Chirithy let out a disheartened sigh. “I was afraid of that.” It looked off to the side for a moment, almost lost in thought. “You asked me who my wielder was,” it eventually said, its voice even softer than before, “I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you, but maybe just a hint since it’s been so long either of us have seen another Chirithy, apparently. They’re mad. They’re mad at your wielder. At the same time, they’re curious. More curious than they have been in a long time.”</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>But you won’t tell me who directly?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>The new Chirithy shook their head. “I’m not allowed to. You’ll figure out why later if you stick close enough to your wielder. I’m sure of it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ven’s Chirithy gave an affirmative nod of understanding. But even with their agreement, there was still something that was still on its mind.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>You’re not allowed to leave this apartment, are you?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>For this, the other Chirithy looked away. The only thing that Ven’s Chirithy could do was look away as well. It couldn’t imagine not being able to be with its wielder, let alone be purposely told to stay in one spot because someone else wanted it to be so. It was all… very weird, but it also wasn’t their right to ask too many questions.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>Maybe we can talk again later?” Ven’s Chirithy finally asked. The other Chirithy still did not answer, still refusing to look Ven’s in the eye now. Giving a sigh, Ven’s Chirithy hopped into the air, disappearing at the apex to go back to Aqua.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua did stay fairly close by, thank goodness, and Chirithy was almost relieved to see her again.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>Well?” the Keyblade master wondered. The Dream Eater looked back up at her with a grin.</span></p>
<p>“<span>It was just my imagination,” it said to her, “Nothing more. Let’s go to that museum over there! I’m sure it’s got a lot of interesting things about this world in it.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>If Aqua had caught Chirithy’s bluff, she certainly did not let it show. Instead, she offered a kind smile of her own before the two went to the museum.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Strong Wills</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which trouble is found at the Floatyard, and Sabrina's motto is revealed- among other things about her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yes, she is a Mary Sue. YOLO, mofo.<br/>Thank you for reading.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In hindsight, if Oswald truly didn't want Sabrina to greet the newcomers, he never should have mentioned staying away from them at all. There was a natural urge in the girl to do the exact opposite of what she was told most of the time. Not that she had any <em>real </em>curiosity toward the trio. It was protocol to give proper introductions to new guests here, after all. This was just part of her job as a figure head.</p><p>Whether or not she actually believed herself on that lie was a matter of debate.</p><p>At least Mean Street seemed rather calm this late morning. Everyone almost acted like there hadn't been a huge creature of darkness messing up an otherwise happy celebration yesterday. Just some gremlins doing repair work near the south side, then regular folks coming in and out of the shops and eateries on the north side. Almost a normal day in here ol' Wasteland. It didn't stop Sabrina from grimacing when she noticed a cluster of Guardians by the theater. The fact that they were more active now was not a good sign. The last time she had seen them above ground, it was just before the Thinner Disaster. And before that...</p><p>The young woman shivered. She didn't have time to think about that. She needed to figure out why those imbeciles had crashed landed in her world, and she needed to get them out of it before more disaster happened. Or worse; Oswald shut himself out from anyone else -namely her- completely.</p><p>Sabrina opened up the doors of Paulie's Ice Cream Parlor with enough force that the door almost slammed into some poor sucker on the other side. She offered a half-baked apology before heading over to the booth counter for Paulie himself.</p><p>"Well hello there Sabrina! What'll it be today?" Paulie happily greeted. Sabrina only offered the dog-person a curt nod, giving him the hint that she was here on business.</p><p>"Are they here yet?"</p><p>"You bet. Table 7 as requested."</p><p>"Thanks Paulie." Sabrina nodded. She did pause for a monent before requesting, "Get me the usual and put it on my tab, would you?"</p><p>"You know it!" he happily replied.</p><p>With that out of the way, Sabrina went to table 7 and felt her anger flare at seeing the three friends happily enjoying their ice cream. Sure, it wasn't unusual for a local to be all happy and carefree when something bad happened. But these three? It felt like an insult.</p><p>They didn't even notice when she sat down across from them. She had to clear her throat three times for them to even look her way. She glared them down as they offered back guilty faces and nervous laughter.</p><p>"Now that I have your attention," Sabrina informed them, "I believe that we were not properly introduced before. As you may have gathered from Gus's tour yesterday, I am Sabrina. The name, rather befittingly, means princess."</p><p>"The pleasure is ours, ma'am." the musclehead looking guy said. "We heard that you are this world's princess. My name is Terra."</p><p>The chick with blue hair added, "I am Aqua."</p><p>And the guy that didn't look much older than Sabrina herself gave her a wide grin before saying. "Ventus. But you can call me Ven!"</p><p>"Charmed." Sabrina snarled before shaking her head. Stopping what could have been a rather dark silence, Paulie came over to give Sabrina her usual; a strawberry milkshake with salted caramel sauce, and topped with curled chocolate shavings. The young woman took a moment to give a generous sip of the milkshake before carefully pushing it to the side. She placed her hands on the table, carefully knit her fingers in themselves, and even sat up a bit straighter as she gave her honest feelings.</p><p>"I'll be blunt with you, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus; what's it going to take to get you three idiots out of my world?"</p><p>Shocked for a moment, the three simply looked at each other. They seemed to come to a silent agreement as Aqua looked back at Sabrina.</p><p>"I guess we would have to find this world's keyhole (and likewise, its corresponding gate), so it can be connected to the other worlds and the Gummi Phone network." she informed her, taking on a cadence as if she were talking to a toddler instead.</p><p>"Keyhole?" Sabrina repeated. A small jolt of familiarity striking the back of her mind like a blunt force weapon.</p><p>"Why yes." Aqua agreed with a small nod. "You may not be aware, but this world is one many-"</p><p>"I know about the other worlds." Sabrina cut off with an open palm. "What I don't get is how finding the keyhole will end <em>our</em> problems. Are you telling me that by opening our world to others, that we <em>won't</em> see an influx of those creatures? Why would I give you any right to do that if it only endangers these people more?"</p><p>"It's our only way out."</p><p>"You mean you can't just hop into your fancy armors and fly back into whatever vortex you came out of?"</p><p>To Sabrina's annoyance, Aqua shook her head.</p><p>"We were searching the realm of darkness for a friend. Using our armors to open a bridge back out will only lead us back into the Lanes Between. For us to be back where we started, we will need to connect this world to the other gates. There feels to be enough darkness here that we could open a corridor back into the dark realm, but without knowing where the keyhole is..."</p><p>"You can't just pop back out." Sabrina finished, thoughtfully, as she leaned back on the chair. She folded her arms as she thought the idea over. This all sounded horribly inconvenient, while at the same time being VERY coincidental. What was that one thing Madame Leona once said? 'No coincidence, no story'? Sabrina huffed. Her story was just fine the way it was- why did these three have to barge in on it?</p><p>"I don't know where this world's keyhole is." she finally admitted. "And I doubt you're going to get any straight answers from the rabbit himself. At least, not with me present." Sabrina let out an annoyed huff before blowing a puff of air at her side swept bangs. "Maybe a gremlin will- they're always fixing up Wasteland in one way or another to have noticed <em>something</em> . The Mad Doctor as well, if you can find a way up to his attic, and <em>if</em> he's in the mood to listen."</p><p>"If it helps," Aqua offered, "Sometimes, if the keyhole itself is not easily visible, a world's gate can be opened with an object instead. Can you think of anything that could represent this world's heart?"</p><p>Sabrina's face went into an even deeper line of thought as she dwelled over it. She didn't get time to respond before the bell above the ice cream parlor's door twinkled.</p><p>"Help! Help!" a squeaking voice shouted as they entered. It didn't take a second longer for Sabrina, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua to stand up to see what was going on.</p><p>Coming in were a small cluster of small blue bunnies, frantically jumping around to get anyone's attention. Seeing them made Sabrina's grimace even darker.</p><p>"Hey!" she shouted at the bunnies. "What did you mess up now?"</p><p>The blue bunnies stopped (some while jumping in midair) before turning to look at her.</p><p>"Sabreenie!" the creatures cheered as they then made their way over. The closer they got to the table, the bunnies hopped on each other's shoulders so the one on top sat just a little below Sabrina's eye level. "Big trouble Sabreenie! Big, <em>big</em> trouble! More dark creatures everywhere!"</p><p>Sabrina cast Terra, Aqua, and Ventus a hard glare before turning her attention back to the bunny children. "Where <em>specifically</em>?" she sharply asked them.</p><p>"The Floatyard!"</p><p>Giving a hard sigh, Sabrina turned to Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.</p><p>"Follow me." she told them. "You need to take the D.E.C. to get to the Floatyard. There's an entrance on the north side of Mean Street, behind the train station."</p><p>The trio only gave a nod as the company headed out of the ice cream parlor. Not a word was spoken as Sabrina led them up Mean Street and to a gate beside the stairs. She opened the gate with a push, and beckoned for the trio, and the following bunny kids, to continue her lead. There were a few turns she had to make before they came to what looked to be a large sewer cover with a gremlin face on it.</p><p>"Gus probably didn't tell you this," Sabrina told the trio as she pointed for the bunny kids to help her lift the cover, "But there are actually two ways to travel around Wasteland without the projectors. The obvious route is with the trains, but they can't take you everywhere- just to the other hubs. The D.E.C.s are intended as alternate pathways for the gremlins- this, as you'll see, will be your other way of getting around. Hope you like getting your hands dirty."</p><p>With a collective grunt, the bunny children and Sabrina opened up the grate. The young woman turned her attention back to Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to give a small hand wave at the hole.</p><p>"Now, which one of you is going in first, or do I have to prove it’s safe for you outsiders?"</p><p>"Wait!" one of the bunny children piped up. "Sabreenie can't go!"</p><p>"And why not?" she sharply asked the bunny child. The creatures didn't even flinch at her harsh tone.</p><p>"Papa won't like Sabreenie going out." one of the bunny children warned her.</p><p>"No, no, no!" three others chorused, even shaking their heads.</p><p>That was when Sabrina put on a rather defiant smirk before bending down to the bunny kids' height. "What Papa won't know won't kill him. Will it?" she asserted.</p><p>"And what if Papa already knows?" Oswald asked. Sabrina immediately stood back up in some act of feigned surprise. The rabbit looked back at her with a cocked eyebrow. His arms were folded in front of him as he tapped a foot on the ground. Even Terra, Aqua, and Ven looked away for a moment as if they had no idea this conversation was happening.</p><p>"Sabreenie gets punished! Sabreenie gets punished!" the bunny children cheered, happily bounding around Oswald as he continued to stare Sabrina down.</p><p>"No more ice cream!"</p><p>"Take away her toys!"</p><p>"Make her eat thinner!"</p><p>Oswald gave his kids a funny glance before shooing some of them away. He then returned his attention to Sabrina with a look even darker than before.</p><p>"Gus can take this trio to whatever danger is going on. You have to stay here."</p><p>"You rang?" the gremlin asked, happily appearing near Terra. He then reconsidered his appearance as he noticed the glares Oswald and Sabrina were giving each other. "Or... perhaps I could come back in a few minutes?"</p><p>"No," Oswald sharply replied, "You're going to take the new trio to help fight whatever thing's popped up in the Floatyard. Sabrina, on the other hand, is going to stay here."</p><p>Sabrina almost audibly growled. "You can't just lock me away." she argued. Her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles were starting to turn white.</p><p>"Watch me." Oswald spat back.</p><p>Aqua could almost feel the electricity fire through the air, giving her goosebumps. She quickly shook it off before saying, "It's alright. Gus will be a fine navigator for us. Isn't that right, Terra? Ven?"</p><p>The boys warily nodded their heads. Terra was the first to move forward to the D.E.C. to venture onward. Aqua followed him, motioning for Gus to come with. The gremlin didn't hesitate- for fear of being in between another one of Oswald and Sabrina's spats. This led Ven to be the last to move forward. He looked between the rabbit and girl, letting out a small sigh before following after his friends. As Ven carefully tried to close the D.E.C.'s hatch, he got one last look at Oswald and Sabrina. They were still staring each other down.</p><p>When the girl noticed that the cover was all but closed, she spat, "Well, I hope you're happy." before heading off to the train station. Oswald only gave a defeated sigh as she went past him.</p><p>Ven looked away, wondering, just slightly, why Oswald wouldn't let Sabrina help.</p><p>. . .</p><p> </p><p>"Do pardon the mess," Gus hummed as they worked through the tunnels, "The D.E.C. routes are a bit of a side project for us gremlins. More of an emergency pathway should the projectors go down, you see."</p><p>Terra, Aqua, and Ven didn't answer, instead doing their best to navigate through the wooden platforms, rickety balloon operated elevators, and whatever else the gremlins found lying around to build the tunnels with. The exit to the Floatyard did not come fast enough. Not that going back to the surface was much better.</p><p>The Floatyard was a completely different atmosphere than the artificially brighter looking Mean Street. Large metal frames from old parade floats were scattered everywhere without any orientation. Some floats still had some of their livery visible, but the lack of lights surrounding the dejected parts only made them come out as dark and depressing. There were even bits of metal and disconnected wires on the ground, waiting for the dirt to cover it up and be forgotten like the trash it was.</p><p>"Welcome to the Floatyard." Gus said to the trio after they had all climbed out of the D.E.C. entrance. "This is where all the old floats from yesteryear eventually end up. Both a junkyard and graveyard, this is definitely a place where you'll need to watch your step."</p><p>"I can see that." Aqua agreed as she looked over the area. Her gaze went to a float designed to look like a white and gold wedding carriage. Something about it sent a chill up her spine, causing Aqua to give a quick shudder.</p><p>"You alright Aqua?" Ven curiously asked, even placing a hand on her arm to help ground her. Aqua looked back at her friend, gave him a soft smile, then placed her hand on top of his.</p><p>"I'll be fine." she assured him. "I'm not alone."</p><p>It didn't deter Ven that easily- he still looked over her with a suspicious glance before finally deciding that she would be fine. He gave her a wide, genuine grin that only increased Aqua's own smile.</p><p>"Come on," Terra told the group, "We can't stay here when someone could be in trouble."</p><p>His friends and the gremlin nodded their heads before the four of them went onward. The general creepiness of the old floats did not lift the further the group ventured. If anything, Terra, Aqua, and Ven were starting to avert their gaze from the contraptions. There were even points when Ven could swear he could hear a distant chuckle as they walked along. He tried to think that it was just some broken audio system, and not someone trying to follow them. Not that he could easily shake the feeling that they <em>were</em> being followed.</p><p>No surprise that Ven nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard someone to the left say, "Took you four long enough."</p><p>The sudden voice didn't just spook Ven either- Gus jumped and nearly hid behind Terra. Even Aqua seemed startled enough to go into a battle stance. On second reaction, the four found that they recognized the voice, turning their heads to a newcomer. Sure enough, after ducking from under a cage-like float, Sabrina was casually walking on over. The look on her face was smug as she folded her arms across her chest.</p><p>"How did you-" Gus started to question, but then he seemed to realize something. He gave a bemused smirk before going on to say, "I see your listening skills are on par as always."</p><p>"There are two things I operate on," Sabrina informed him, "Spite and defiance."</p><p>"He's not going to be happy about this, you know."</p><p>"I'll bake him a cake later. It'll be fine."</p><p>Aqua, Terra, and Ventus gave each other confused glances, then silently agreed not to disagree with identical shrugs.</p><p>Stopping the rather cheery moment in its tracks, the desperate shout of "Haaaaalp!" reminded everyone why they had gone to the Floatyard to begin with. Aqua, Terra, and Ven immediately moved forward, Sabrina not that far behind, as they went to the source of the shout. They came to a tunnel that had been crowded with Large Body heartless and the smaller Minute Bombs. The Heartless seemed to be focused on a gremlin that had somehow ended up in a glass cage with an odd looking diode on top.</p><p>"What are you three standing around for?" Sabrina demanded as she pushed past Terra and Ven. "These creatures need to be stopped. <em>Now</em>."</p><p>The headstrong young woman got into a battle position before summoning a weapon in her hand. It took a moment for the trio to realize what had materialized in front of them. When they did, their jaws nearly dropped at once.</p><p>It was Terra who first tried to remark, "She has a...?" but was unable to finish his sentence from pure, unexpected shock.</p><p>But it was Aqua who completely marveled, "She's a Keyblade wielder too."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Curiouser and Curiouser</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which a lot of fight scenes happen that I am really bad at.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wonderland's a mess even when it's just parade floats.<br/>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"She has a...?"</p>
<p>
  <span>"She's a Keyblade wielder too."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The trio of friends could only stare at the Keyblade Sabrina had procured moments ago in front of them. Simple in design, there was no mistaking the weapon of light. Wasteland's princess held the weapon tight as she plunged headfirst into the group of Heartless. She immediately smacked one of the Minute Bombs like she was hitting a golf ball instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sabrina, wait!" Ven shouted, snapping out of his surprise first to call his Keyblade, "Minute Bombs will self-destruct if you hit them too much!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Then come help me!" she snapped back at him. It distracted her for just long enough that a Large Body swung with its full weight to smack her with the back of its hand. Sabrina was knocked back quite a ways from the Heartless, apparently stunned that anything could give that much wallop. Ven got into position even faster to block one of the Minute Bombs from getting another hit on her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Watching Sabrina's knockback is what got Terra and Aqua's attention. The two went forward into the fray- Aqua taking care of the Large Bodies from behind, and Terra corralling the Minute Bombs to a position where they could be taken out in a cluster. Once Sabrina realized that the Minute Bombs could also be lit on fire before detonating, she ordered someone to light one. Terra was the one to oblige her- lighting a Minute Bomb on fire, allowing Sabrina to kick it into the air and using her Keyblade to whack it toward a Large Body. The attack wasn't as effective as she thought it would be, but it had weakened the enemy enough that a joint attack from Aqua and Ven destroyed it for good.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With the four of them working together, the tunnel was cleared of Heartless in just a few short minutes. They made sure the coast was clear before Sabrina went over to the caged gremlin and whacked the glass casing with all her might. The pieces fell away that the gremlin was able to come on out without problem.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you for the assistance!" he happily told her, almost ignoring the sour look she was giving him. "I was scrapping the floats from your coronation, and I came across that odd cage. It was so weird- I've never seen something so simple be able to actually keep us in it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"When did the monsters show up, Markus?" Sabrina asked- her tone almost making it seem like a demand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"While I was trapped." the burgundy jumpsuited gremlin informed her. "For a moment, I thought it was them who placed that cage there. But when they looked at me, then just kept sauntering in the area, I figured that wasn't the case."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I wonder if they couldn't sense you because the cage kept your heart trapped." Aqua thoughtfully said, more to herself than anyone in particular. "It kept your heart and body in an invisible barrier of sorts, stopping you from getting out, and them from seeing you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Either way, it was </span>
  <span>
    <em>very</em>
  </span>
  <span> uncomfortable." Markus sniffed with a little shiver. He recomposed himself to then tell the group, "I'm not entirely sure, but it looked like they came from the Wonder Garden area. You know the one? With the Mary Ann house?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know the place." Sabrina sharply agreed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wonderful." Markus nodded. "If that's all, I'll be off!" And with that, the gremlin disappeared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The look on Sabrina's face was one of slight annoyance as she told the others, "Let's go."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Terra, Aqua, and Ven didn't start following her. Instead, they looked back at her again with rather wary expressions. A new part of her had come to light, and they weren't quite sure how to talk about it. Sabrina was a good distance away from them before she realized they were not following. She spun back around to glare at them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What are you three waiting for? Come on."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Ventus who stepped forward. "How did you learn to use a Keyblade?" he asked her, his voice rather small.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina cocked an eyebrow at them. "What are you talking about?" she questioned. Beside her, Gus appeared again and was looking rather distressed. Sabrina didn't seem to notice him as she kept looking between the friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The Keyblade is a special kind of weapon," Aqua told her, once more talking like she was explaining something to a child. It was starting to itch away at Sabrina's nerve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So?" she sharply questioned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Not just anyone can become a Keyblade wielder." Terra went on to explain. "You have to be given the power to use it, or chosen by the Keyblade itself."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The continuous glare Sabrina was giving them meant that she still wasn't getting it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I still don't see what the problem is." she told them. "You're putting such a big deal on some stupid weapon like only ten people know how to use it. Is being a Keyblade wielder some ancient art that's dying out because the stakes are too high? Too many people dying before they can pass the power on to someone younger? Is that it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus averted their eyes to the ground. Sabrina looked at them, her expression still hard, until the truth hit her. Her face slowly fell, her eyes looking down at her own Keyblade as a sudden wave of nausea hit her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A heavy silence filled between the five of them, no one sure of how to go on with the subject. It was Aqua who broke it with a small, "How long have you known?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Perhaps I could offer a few explanations," Gus offered. "Or, one, anyway. The fact of the matter is that we simply are not sure. It was a talent she's had since... since she's been in Wasteland, as far as we know. It's one of the reasons why Oswald keeps her close, you see. He also had a brother that could wield a Keyblade. And it, uh... let's just say that it is not of the best circumstances between the old chap and his brother, yes? This current incident is not the first where she's gone against Oswald's wishes. But she is still inexperienced, for reasons I'm sure you could gather quite easily. But the will of this girl! It's quite something! Ha ha..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a feeble explanation, and it was only marginally better than none. The trio tucked the subject away for now as they gave Gus a unanimous nod of understanding. Sabrina still had her gaze averted- the conflicted anger on her face still furrowed into her brow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Keyblade wielders always bring trouble." she mumbled under her breath. Then she gave a shake of her head before starting to leave. "Come on. The faster we can clear this area of these monsters, the better."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We'll follow your lead." Aqua agreed, soon followed by Terra and Ven giving their affirmations as well. Even if they had disagreed, Sabrina was almost too far away to hear them.</span>
</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>erra, Aqua, and Ven</span>
  <span> quickly followed Sabrina through the rest of the Floatyard. At the end of a canyon was a wooden turnstile- Terra and Ven were the ones to push against the handles to bring the group up to the next area. No less unsettling than the rest of the Floatyard, this area reminded the seasoned Keyblade wielders of a similarly curious world. There were bushes cut into spades, and diamonds, and hearts with a mix of what appeared to be red and white roses growing on them. But the oddest thing of this area was a large house, settled in the back. The top window was opened to reveal the face of a girl with curious blue eyes and blonde </span>
  <span>bangs</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roaming the area was a small crowd of robots. They did not notice the group at first, but when they did, they all starting to march toward them wi</span>
  <span>th</span>
  <span> ill intent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Shoot." Sabrina cursed, pulling out her Keyblade. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus quickly followed suit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What are those?" Terra questioned, looking at Sabrina with a hard stare.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Beetleworx." Sabrina replied in a grimace. "They were made to help Wasteland. They tend to go rogue instead."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"If you get me close enough, I can reprogram the Replicator that they're coming out of." Gus offered, gesturing to the metal doors at the bottom of the house. Beside it, there was a blue panel giving off a soft red glow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Or shut it down." Sabrina sharply corrected him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That too." he agreed. "But do make up your mind- I'll be on standby until the path is cleared."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You can trust us, Gus." Aqua said, giving an affirming nod. At the equal nods from Terra and Ven as well, Gus gave the group a salute before disappearing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sabrina," Terra said as the Beetleworx started to make their way over, "What are we facing?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The biggest threats will be the Spinners," she told them, pointing to a Beetleworx that looked like a cross between a beetle and a spider. "They're the ones that the Replicator is spitting back out when you destroy them. Unfortunately, they also have the power to become giant buzzsaws if you're not paying attention. You'll have to kick the thing over to reach its weak point- it's a small red button near the back of the Spinner. You can't miss it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And what about these guys?" Ven quickly asked as a Beetleworx with sword melded to its hand tried to attack him. The teen was ab</span>
  <span>le</span>
  <span> to parry the attack before giving the bot a good whack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Bashers. You can already see how they attack- just a sword fight, really. And in finite quantity; the Replicator wasn’t made to remake these guys. Their weakness is in their chest cavity."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Got it." Ven nodded as he continued to attack the Basher. Terra and Aqua also went off in separate directions to spread the Beetleworx out. Sabrina looked between the three of them before her attention was brought to a Spinner that was making a path toward her. Her face hardened before giving it all she had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that they were fighting in a more open area, the four of them were able to utilize more technical methods to get rid of the Beetleworx. Terra was unafraid to use a ground bashing move that could stun the Beetleworx for a few moments. Aqua utilized her magic to its fullest- casting Thundaga to stun a group of Beetleworx before finishing them up with Glacier, sending shards of the resulting metal flying. Ven tried to stay near the Replicator for when one of his friends finished up a Beetleworx that resulted in a new one coming out- he almost got hit by one Spinner as it came through the Replicator doors. It was Sabrina who stopped it with a focused casting of Gravira, then flinging the Beetleworx across the area to crash into a wall. Ven was going to thank her, but another Spinner came out of the Replicator before he could utter a single word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The four of them were able to take out the Beetleworx that wouldn't be recreated in record time. It was Sabrina who recognized when the right automations were down for good, giving her time to shout, "Gus, do it now!" so the gremlin could disable the Replicator. Gus wasted no time appearing on the spot -Ven now focusing on keeping any newly created Beetleworx way from the gremlin- to pull out his trusty wrench and beat away at the Replicator panel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Done!" the gremlin called out as he finished up. On cue, the Replicator spit out one last Beetleworx as the eye on the door went from red to green. The Spinner didn't seem interested in going after anyone now, but it didn't stop Sabrina from coming up to flip the bot over, then crush it with Gravira without a second thought. Her face held nothing but hatred as she put away her Keyblade.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is everyone alright?" Terra asked as the five of them regrouped. The others nodded their heads in agreement. Aqua and Ven didn't look much worse for wear, but Sabrina seemed to be a bit out of breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It is odd." Gus thoughtfully said as placed a hand on his chin. "We hardly ever engage with the Beetleworx in this area. In fact, I almost swore that this Replicator was disabled. Who could have turned it back on?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if it were answering him, a large something that seemed to be made entirely of red and black paper landed by them. In its hands were two purple juggling batons that the creature set aflame when it spotted the group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Duck!" Aqua called out as the creatures launched fireballs at them. No one thought twice as they managed to avoid the attack. The older two immediately got back to their feet to find better ground to attack the Heartless at.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Gus!" Sabrina snapped as she drew her Keyblade back out. "This is all your fault!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How is this </span>
  <span>
    <em>my</em>
  </span>
  <span> fault?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You tempted fate, in Wasteland of all places!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fair enough." the gremlin agreed with a nod before giving out a yelp as the creature made a swing at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's a Heartless," Aqua told the group, more to Sabrina and Gus than anyone else. "The Trickmaster's weak spot is high up on its torso. To target that high, you need to get up higher as well."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Or if you have homing magic?" Sabrina asked as she started to climb a series of floats to the top of the Mary Ann house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I could suppose that would work." Aqua agreed. She remained on the ground, trying to find a way to land a punch on the Trickmaster from below. The master was able to get a good distance away to cast Blizzaga, but the Trickmaster leaped into the air to try to land on Aqua herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina got to a platform on the Mary Ann house so she could look over the fight. She was at just the right height to get a hit in at the Trickmaster's weak spot. Aqua was still doing her best to keep the thing occupied so it didn't spot Terra and Ven leap at it from different sides. They were good. As Sabrina's hand tightened around her Keyblade, she wondered how long they went without anyone telling them what to do, or how to use a weapon only they could control.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey!" she shouted loud enough to gain everyone's attention. In a single motion, the teen summoned a ring of round, brightly colored balloons around her. A faint glow coming off the balloons reflected of her light skin made her look perfectly in control of the situation. The Trickmaster had set its sights on the suddenly awestruck Ventus before pausing. It looked at her, saw her balloon magic, and decided to make her its new target instead. Sabrina smirked. This was exactly what she wanted. "Wrong move," she mused before sending the balloons at the Trickmaster's body. The barrage of magic stunned the Heartless, giving Aqua a better chance to hit it from the ground. Proud of herself, Sabrina got down from the platform and freely helped Aqua beat the Trickmaster senseless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nearing the end of its life, the Heartless slowly started to come out of its daze. It tried to stand back up on wobbling legs, but its efforts were quickly put to rest when Terra let out a bellowing cry. The Trickmaster only had time to look up before the young man ran it through with a piercing attack from his Keyblade. The Heartless went into a puff of smoke, a large pink heart floating up into the sky to return to Kingdom Hearts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's over." Sabrina sighed, dispelling her Keyblade in near relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"For now." Aqua agreed. "But there may be more in other areas. We'd have to keep an eye out."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina gave Aqua a darkened glare. So much for appreciating the small victories. Either way, Sabrina looked around the area once more. Her eyes drifted up to the face in the house -her own twisting in an uncomfortable frown- before saying, "Let's go back to Mean Street."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And no one disagreed with her.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Papa's Hopping Mad</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Oswald finds out that Sabrina disobeyed orders.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I feel like I took too long writing this chapter, which is weird because it's only been a week. Things kinda went downhill after the announcement of Union Cross and Dark Road going offline, it seems like...</p>
<p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The fire station apartment had a rather tall grandfather clock in it. Its timing incredibly precise for something that existed in an abandoned part of Mean Street. At the sitting chairs in front of the curtained window, two Chirithy sat opposite of each other in an almost perfect mirror image. They each sat with their heads leaning on the arm rest as they looked up at the ceiling.</p>
<p>"So you belong to her." Ven's Chirithy mused.</p>
<p>"Yep."</p>
<p>"And you still can not tell me who told you not to say anything about it?"</p>
<p>"Nope."</p>
<p>Ven's Chirithy gave a rather disgruntled sigh. "It couldn't have been her." it decided. "Not unless there was a solid reason why she would want to forget her past."</p>
<p>"Is there ever a solid reason to keep our wielders' memories from them?" Sabrina's Chirithy replied with a sad smirk. "It's hard enough watching them grow and having to rely on us less. It was a much simpler time when we could partner up and encourage them to do their very best. But then they grow up. They find better friends. Better cheerleaders..."</p>
<p>"Yeah..."</p>
<p>Both Chirithy let out a long, sullen sigh at the same time.</p>
<p>"Do you miss spending time with her?" Ven's Chirithy then asked.</p>
<p>For awhile, Sabrina's Chirithy remained silent. It gave a thoughtful hum, but was unable to answer proper when the two of them heard a door open and close. Both Chirithy jumped out of their seats when they saw Oswald come around the corner into the main apartment.</p>
<p>"Chirithy, do you know where Sabrina is? Every time I try to get a cluster of Guardians to guide me to her, they just..." The rabbit cut himself off when he saw the two Chirithy sitting in their opposite chairs. He just stared at them, like he was deciding if he was imagining one or the other. The more he looked between the two of them, the more angered he was starting to be.</p>
<p>"Oswald!" Sabrina's Chirithy exclaimed as it hopped off the chair and over to the rabbit. "I wasn't expecting-"</p>
<p>"She has two now?"</p>
<p>The Chirithy just blinked at him, confused before the realization hit.</p>
<p>"I'm not hers." Ven's Chirithy spoke up as it also got off the chair and over to Oswald. "I belong to Ven."</p>
<p>"Ven...?"</p>
<p>"The blonde boy that came with the trio of strangers yesterday."</p>
<p>
  <span>The growing look of hatred caused an equal shiver to run down the Chirithy's back. In a voice failing to hide its seething rage, Oswald demanded, "Where </span>
  <span>
    <em>is</em>
  </span>
  <span> she?"</span>
</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p>Getting out of a D.E.C. was always harder than getting in to one. For the most part, if you were dexterous enough, you could literally just hop out. While Sabrina did her best to be as nimble as possible, she still had quite a few limitations on how she could exercise. Fighting alongside people who knew what they were doing was proof that she needed to learn more. It was just a matter of doing it under the rabbit's nose that became the big deal.</p>
<p>Sabrina looked on as Terra helped Aqua and Ven out of the D.E.C., then as the musclehead carefully closed the hatch behind his friends. She raised an eyebrow at them as they dusted off their clothes and checked for any further bruising done from the previous fights.</p>
<p>"Which one of you can teach me to use the Keyblade properly?" she loudly asked, speaking more as if she was voicing a thought. Terra, Aqua, and Ven looked at her in confusion, then at each other.</p>
<p>
  <span>"Guess that would be Aqua..." Ven sheepishly mumbled, reaching his hand over to rub the back of his neck. "She's a recognized Keyblade Master."</span>
</p>
<p>Sabrina's eyes darted from Ven to Aqua. "Well? Is it true? Can you teach me?"</p>
<p>For this, Aqua shifted a bit from side to side in conflicted thought.</p>
<p>"Let's get back to Mean Street first," she offered, "It would be easier to talk about it in the fresh air than in these tunnels."</p>
<p>Sabrina did not move. Her gaze on Aqua was intense as she failed to back down. It took time; as if the silent glare was a way for Sabrina to see if Aqua was lying or not, but the teen relented.</p>
<p>"Come on." she said, "We're wasting daylight just standing here."</p>
<p>The trio of friends had no reason to disagree, so they all headed out together. Sabrina was more than eager to get back to Mean Street- Terra, Aqua, and Ven almost losing her a few times because of how quickly she paced herself. When she got back to the gates leading to Mean Street, she opened them so quickly that a cluster of Guardians (who had decided to block the door from the outside) went onto a small frenzy at the abruption.</p>
<p>Seeing the Guardians made Sabrina pause for a moment. She gave them an unreadable glare as they circled around her. If you didn't know any better, you would almost think that they were trying to tell her something. Whatever the message was, Sabrina didn't have time to decipher it before Aqua placed a hand on her shoulder. The teen almost jumped a good foot in the air before spinning around to look Aqua in the eye. Her expression darkened when she remembered what the original order of business was.</p>
<p>"You can train me." she said- her voice indicating that her mind was still on the Guardians.</p>
<p>Aqua gave a nod, gesturing for Sabrina to walk on so they could discuss it alone. Ventus tried to follow the girls but was immediately stopped by Terra.</p>
<p>"Come on Ven," the older of the boys said, placing a firm hand on his friend's shoulder, "Let's go for a walk too."</p>
<p>"But-!" the boy tried to protest. Terra didn't budge, only holding Ven's shoulder tighter before directing him to some store down the road.</p>
<p>Sabrina and Aqua, meanwhile, made their way toward the museum. Possibly knowing that their topic of discussion would be better held away from anyone else's attention, Sabrina subtly navigated them to the back of the museum for better breathing room.</p>
<p>"Is it true?" Sabrina asked once again. "You're a Keyblade Master? You have the power to teach me how to really use the Keyblade?"</p>
<p>"It is, and I can." Aqua agreed. "I would be honored to make you a student of mine. However, if you do not mind me asking -because I don't think we ever really discussed it-, have you had Keyblade training before?"</p>
<p>Sabrina's face scrunched in disgust. "The rabbit didn't teach me, if that's what you're wondering." she spat. "If anything, he likes to make sure that I can't use the Keyblade. Not that anything really needs that kind of power around here. But I still want to learn. I'm well aware that whatever methods you saw me use earlier looked..."</p>
<p>"Inexperienced?"</p>
<p>"Sure. Let's go with that."</p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua afforded a small smile as she looked ahead. "I am impressed by the basics that you do know." she admitted. "Which may make things easier later. However, I noticed that you wear yourself easily when using magic. You </span>
  <span>
    <em>do</em>
  </span>
  <span> know that you're not supposed to hold Gravity magics, right? A focused stationary field, yes, but using it to fling an enemy across the room? It's very... unconventional."</span>
</p>
<p>Sabrina gave a huff, but didn't say anything to defend herself.</p>
<p>"Someone taught you to use Balloon magic though, didn't they?" Aqua then asked. "You had a better handle on how they were used in relation to your own stamina."</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ortensia did." came the small agreement. "Before... </span>
  <span>
    <em>things</em>
  </span>
  <span> happened."</span>
</p>
<p>"She must have been a great teacher."</p>
<p>At this, Sabrina stopped walking altogether. Aqua stopped as well when she noticed the other girl was no longer following. Seeing the contemplative expression Sabrina was making made Aqua consider something for a moment. As Aqua considered speaking her thoughts, Guardians started to find their way to Sabrina and swirled around her in what looked to be an act of comfort. Sabrina closed her eyes at the embrace, but her expression did not look any more relaxed.</p>
<p>"There is also one other factor we need to discuss before we begin training." Aqua instead decided to say. Sabrina almost moved in slow motion as she turned her attention back to the master.</p>
<p>"What?" she asked in a genuinely confused tone.</p>
<p>
  <span>As if to answer them, all of Mean Street rang out with the screaming declaration of, "</span>
  <span>
    <em>
      <b>S</b>
    </em>
  </span>
  <span>
    <em>
      <b>ABRINA</b>
    </em>
  </span>
  <span>
    <em>
      <b> Lillian S</b>
    </em>
  </span>
  <span>
    <em>
      <b>IDNEY</b>
    </em>
  </span>
  <span>!"</span>
</p>
<p>The Guardians around Sabrina immediately scattered as she and Aqua spun around to see a furious Oswald coming to them. Sabrina immediately cursed under her breath.</p>
<p>"Oswald!" Aqua exclaimed. "Sabrina and I were just talking about-"</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know full well what you're talking about, and I </span>
  <span>
    <em>told</em>
  </span>
  <span> her she can't be a part of it!" the rabbit thundered. He shot Sabrina a glare so dark that both girls recoiled from it. To Sabrina in particular, pointing a finger at her, "And you! You're </span>
  <span>
    <em>grounded</em>
  </span>
  <span> from here on out, got it?!"</span>
</p>
<p>Sabrina's face immediately paled, then became a dangerous shade of red. "What? You can't do that!"</p>
<p>"I can and I will! Gus!"</p>
<p>Rather reluctantly, the gremlin appeared by Aqua. He looked between the group before dropping his head. "Oh no..." Gus mumbled under his breath. "Not this again..."</p>
<p>
  <span>Oswald didn't seem to notice as he continued to demand, "Take Sabrina to her room at Dark Beauty castle and make sure she's locked in. She's not going </span>
  <span>
    <em>anywhere</em>
  </span>
  <span> as long as that </span>
  <span>
    <em>trouble maker </em>
  </span>
  <span>and her posse are gone for good! Do you understand me?!"</span>
</p>
<p>"Of course." Gus dimly agreed. He carefully moved over to Sabrina and gave her a nod. "Come along then, dear."</p>
<p>Sabrina's face gave nothing but unbridled rage as she looked from the gremlin to the rabbit. Her hands were clenched so tight that her knuckles were turning white and her nails dug into her palms.</p>
<p>"I hate you." she told Oswald in a small, dark voice before heading to the train station with rigid control of her body. Oswald looked away for a moment, his face detailing a sense of pained regret, before looking at Aqua.</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't know </span>
  <span>
    <em>what</em>
  </span>
  <span> it's going to take, but you three need to get out of our world </span>
  <span>
    <em>immediately</em>
  </span>
  <span>. Figure it out on your own. From here on out, I will not be helping </span>
  <span>
    <em>any</em>
  </span>
  <span> Keyblade wielders that fall into Wasteland ever again. Do you understand me?"</span>
</p>
<p>"O-of course." Aqua stammered. She even gave him an apologetic bow from years of hearing Master Eraqus give her the same tone. Oswald gave her a grimace before he took his leave as well. Aqua noted that he was going to the projectors on the north side of Mean Street. The air still tense, the master realized that she needed to give this new development to her friends.</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p>"Sabrina's grounded?" Ven repeated in absolute surprise. "How?"</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oswald is her caretaker, isn't he?" Terra playfully replied, flicking a french fry his friend's way. "Don't you remember all the times Master Eraqus tried to ground </span>
  <span>
    <em>you</em>
  </span>
  <span>?"</span>
</p>
<p>Ven let out a huff as he just barely dodged the french fry. The boy folded his arms in defiance before sticking his tongue out at Terra. But then his face fell again as he thought back to Sabrina.</p>
<p>"He can't keep her locked away forever." Ven went on to note. He looked over at Aqua to inquire, "Can he?"</p>
<p>Aqua put a hand under her chin as she tried to think the situation over. Her salad, in the meantime, was slowly starting to wilt and look less than appetizing by the minute. Not that it was particularly warm in the homely cafe- not any more than any other cafe Aqua had been in before.</p>
<p>"It's not going to be easy finding the keyhole when Sabrina is under house arrest," she mused. "To make matters worse, Oswald will likely make sure that nobody else discloses information with us as well. If anyone would know where the keyhole is, it would be those two."</p>
<p>"We could ask about Sora in the meantime." Terra offered. "It's a long shot, but it would be better than doing nothing."</p>
<p>"We should." came the pensive agreement. Aqua still lulled her head from side to side in thought, though. "But he's not here. He's never been here. Don't tell me that you can't feel it too."</p>
<p>"As if all the light in Sora's heart is enough to break through this world's darkness."</p>
<p>That was when Aqua flashed Terra a glare so dark he physically recoiled away from it, holding his hands up in defense.</p>
<p>"I wonder why Oswald doesn't want her to join us."</p>
<p>Terra and Aqua both blinked before looking to Ventus. Their younger friend was now idly poking at his mochi with a spoon.</p>
<p>"What makes you say that?" Terra asked. Ven just gave a halfhearted shrug.</p>
<p>"She wasn't that bad at fighting." Ven decided. "She cares a lot about the people here to use a weapon she doesn't even know how she earned. The Keyblade chose her for a reason, and she wants to get better at it. So why would Oswald hold her back? We're missing something."</p>
<p>
  <span>His friends only continued to stare at him until Aqua was hit with a realization. A sly smile crossed her lips as she said, "You know, you're right Ven. We </span>
  <span>
    <em>are</em>
  </span>
  <span> missing something. I think I have a way to find out more about what's going on, but I'll need your help."</span>
</p>
<p>Ven looked up at Aqua with a curious raise of his eyebrow.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" he wondered. Aqua's smile only grew wider as she told him what he needed to do. The more she explained her plan, the more Ventus's face started to pale over.</p>
<p>"Why me?" he asked when Aqua finished.</p>
<p>"Why not you?" she offered back. "It'll all work out. Trust me."</p>
<p>Ven still didn't look very sure at this, turning his attention back to his mochi with an even more quizzical look than before. Terra was also giving Aqua a rather hard glare- one that she easily picked up on to return with an innocent smile of her own. The air electrified between the older two with the raising suspicion Terra had toward Aqua.</p>
<p>"I don't like this plan, Aqua." he said to her. His voice was low, as if he didn't want Ven to hear despite the younger being well within earshot.</p>
<p>"You don't have to like it." Aqua replied in a charming voice. "It's Ven's choice, not yours."</p>
<p>Terra gave her a less than pleased grunt before starting to eat a few french fries. Aqua, on the other hand, still looked rather pleased with herself. She'd give Terra more details later on why this plan had to involve Ven- maybe then he'd understand. It was kind of sinister in its own way, and that was honestly why she kinda liked it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Your Princess is Not in This Castle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Ventus fails a lot of stealth checks and still manages to reach Sabrina's room.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The last time Ven remembered sneaking around for anything was back when he and his friends were at the Land of Departure. Terra and Aqua had been called to a private meeting with Master Eraqus, and Ven wasn't allowed to join. He snuck into the meeting anyway, of course, only to find that it was just a reminder on security measures if something went wrong. It wasn't anything that could really get him in trouble if he had been caught. He even ended up getting that speech later on anyway.</p><p>
  <span>But even that one circumstance was nothing like what he was doing now. For the most part, he had no idea where he was going. Sure, he and his friends were allowed to rest at the castle the past day or so, but he didn't know where everything really was. They had eaten meals out on Mean Street, and the guest rooms weren't too far away from the castle's train station. If only he had a map or something of this place- like when you were visiting a theme park.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least he managed to get to a small courtyard area. It didn't seem like a dead end at first, but he was drawn to the fountains nestled in the corners. This was a pretty serene spot, honestly. But Ven still had no idea where this place was in relation to Sabrina's room. Now what could he do? No matter how he diced it, Ventus was lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Interrupting his thoughts was the sound of something popping out of a nearby pipe. Ven turned to see several bunny children starting to populate the area, coming out from uncovered blue pipes beside the fountains. They started to congregate to a spot almost out of eyesight from where Ven was, but that didn't stop one of the children to spot him. Almost immediately, the bunny child started to wave at Ven.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ven-Ven!" it happily declared. "Hiiiiii Ven-Ven!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't until the other bunny children looked at him and started to wave that Ven realized it might have been a mistake to be seen by them. Not a second later, and he was immediately bombarded by the bunnies. They could have smothered him had he not tried to struggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Get off!" he tried to tell them. "I need to... get... Sabrina...!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sabreenie?!" the bunny children declared at once, immediately hopping off of him. They looked at each other with inquisitive stares before coming to the same decision. They started to hop around and cheer while gleefully declaring, "Ven-Ven's come to save Sabreenie!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wouldn't put it like that..." Ven sheepishly told them as he got back up. It didn't deter the children any. Instead, two took each of Ven's hands before pulling him along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sabreenie's in the East Wing!" the child holding Ven's left hand said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Up on the seventh floor!" the one holding his right hand chimed in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's nice, but..." Ven tried to say, pulling against the bunny children. "I'm trying not to be seen... Just in case </span>
  <span>
    <em>you-know-who </em>
  </span>
  <span>is around. You understand, don't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bunny children that were tugging him stopped. They looked up at him as a few more bunnies came over. It was amazing that something so tiny could look so intimidating when in mass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We know shortcuts." one of the bunny kids told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ven blinked. "You do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of the bunny children nodded at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sabreenie uses them all the time!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So does Mama!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sometimes Mama and Sabreenie do it together."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A round of nods and agreeing hums came from the bunny kids now. Ven was just as -if not more- confused than he ever was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, Ven-Ven?" a bunny kid asked him, hopping up and down rather close to his face. "Are you going to take Sabreenie on an adventure or not?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point, Ventus knew it was too late to back out. Aqua convinced him to find Sabrina and the bunny children were going to help him the rest of the way. It could almost work, honestly. So why did he still feel like he was trespassing, or otherwise about to get in trouble?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll follow your lead." he found himself telling them. The bunny children let out a rather loud cheer before two took his hands again, and the rest pushed him from behind. They led him to one of the fountains where one of their number pressed a stone tile. There was a small click sound before the fountain slid out of the way to reveal a secret passageway. Ven was only allowed to be impressed for a moment before the bunny kids forced him inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inside the secret corridor was nothing but darkness, though. Ven certainly had no idea where he was going. The bunny children, on the other hand, seemed to know every corner and step. No surprise, really, this was </span>
  <span>
    <em>their</em>
  </span>
  <span> home, after all. The group seemed to travel mostly upwards in the secret corridor. They only stopped -rather abruptly- at what looked to be a painting of Oswald. A few of the bunny children got up on each other's shoulders so they were tall enough for the one on top to carefully turn the painting. There was a click, and a part of the wall opened up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good luck Ven-Ven!" the bunny children chorused before a few behind him gave one last shove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ven let out a yelp as he fell forward. When he got up again he was shocked to find that he was in a different part of the castle entirely. He had been dumped off at what seemed to be a simple hallway, wooden doors with golden plates on them every couple feet or so being the only real point of interest. Curious, Ven started to walk down the hallway- deciding to take note of what the gold plates had on them. It was just a letter (sometimes numbers), but there seemed to be some sort of pattern to it. At least, it felt like one was here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young man paused for a moment when he came to a certain door. He looked at the ornate wooden door and wondered if this was Sabrina's room. He assumed it would be- the large gold plate on the door had an S embossed on it. It must have stood for 'Sabrina', right? Did anyone else who lived in the castle have a name that started with 'S'? Not sure of what else to do, Ventus carefully knocked on the door. His heart jumped when someone started to open it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look," a voice said from the other end- the very one Ven had been anticipating, "I get why you don't want me to be around them, but you know you can't stop me from..." Sabrina trailed off in seeing Ven standing on the other side of the door. The young man offered her a sheepish grin and a small, timid wave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're not Oswald." she noted, looking him and up and down with increasing suspicion. "He didn't send you here, did he?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ven shook his head. But then he considered something before admitted, "Technically Aqua did."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why?" the girl then asked. She casually leaned against her doorframe in waiting for his answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well... It's because you're able to use the Keyblade too. You deserve to learn how to use it properly, like the rest of us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sabrina heard all of this with an increasing interest. Her chin rose a bit higher before she got off her doorframe to look down the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did anyone follow you?" she asked, placing a hand on Ven's shoulder to move him out of the way so she could look down the other end of the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not that I know of."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good," was all the warning she gave as she took a firm hold of his collar and forced him into her room. The boy's surprised yelp was partially masked by Sabrina slamming her door closed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ven clumsily stumbled into Sabrina room, regaining himself only to sheepishly scratch the back of his head. Sabrina didn't seem to notice as she went over to her windows and drew the sheer lilac colored curtains a bit. While she did that, the boy looked around but dared not to touch anything. Her room was... nice. The brick on the wall and floor was almost bright white while most of the furniture (including her canopy bed) was made with a dark wood. Everything else in the room -like the curtains, bedspread, and even a few stuffed animals- were in various shades of purple. Sure, the random blue or yellow came up, but it wouldn't take much to guess what her favorite color was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room also had a really nice smell to it; like flowers. It was a calming one too. Ven could almost feel himself drift away on the aroma alone before Sabrina snapped him back to reality with a cold, "Why you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Huh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He came out of his slight daze to realize that Sabrina was circling him. Her arms were crossed in front of her and face detailing a bit of annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why are you the one to come up here?" Sabrina repeated. "There's no way the old rabbit gave you permission to come up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I already said that Aqua sent me." the boy admitted, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "She wants to train you, but we need to do it without Oswald finding out. She wanted me to ask you if there was any way you two could train without it looking suspicious."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowing on her shark circling, Sabrina held herself a bit tighter before informing him, "Considering I'm supposed to be under house arrest right now, it's all going to look suspicious." But she paused, thinking it over. "There may be something, though. Something that can get under Oswald's nose and not raise too many eyebrows if one or all three of you go missing for awhile."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sabrina looked at him. It took her another moment's delay before she took his wrist and started to lead them back out the door. She cracked the door a bit to make sure no one was in the halls before sprinting over to where the secret corridor entrance was. Ven tried not to let out too much noise as she forcefully pulled him along. It would have helped a bit if her grip wasn't so strong too- he was going to have to check for bruising later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She never looked back as she moved through the secret passageway. It brought to mind what the bunny children had said about Sabrina using 'shortcuts' around the castle. She moved even more autonomously through the secrets paths than the bunny children had. Ven wondered for a fleeting moment if she could have drawn out an entire map of this secret area just on pure memory alone. Whatever the case, Sabrina led them further down before coming to another grate that indicated a D.E.C. entrance. Admittedly, Ven found himself rather stunned at seeing it here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Help me with this." Sabrina told him after unlocking the hatch and trying to open the cover herself. Ven was quick to jump in- the two straining only a little as they worked together. After the cover was up far enough, the two only stared down into the hole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where is it going to take us?" Ven then hazarded to ask, looking up at her in both curiosity and wariness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked up at him, flashing a smirk so bold that Ven's heart skipped a beat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My secret." she mused, tapping her nose for a moment, before jumping on in to the D.E.C.. Ven lagged for a moment -too caught up in remembering that gleam in her eye- before following her in.</span>
</p><p>. . .</p><p>
  <span>Oswald was going to be an albino rabbit if this stress kept up. He only had one option at this point, right? Keeping Sabrina locked away was the only way to keep her safe. She knew that, he knew that; so why did he feel so bad for it?</span>
</p><p><span>The halls of Dark Beauty castle seemed extra quiet this evening. It felt like something was trying to hide certain things from him. He tried to ignore it. Everything was fine. Everything </span><span><em>would </em></span><span>be</span> <span>fine as long as the Keyblade wielders kept to themselves. However, if they were anything like the first Keyblade wielder he knew, that small hope was as good as gone.</span></p><p>
  <span>The old rabbit let out a long sigh when he reached Sabrina's door. He gave a few cautious knocks before saying, "Sabrina? I... We need to talk about this afternoon."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited, but there wasn't an answer. Oswald used a hand to rub his face then the back of his neck before opening the door. The room felt empty. He noticed a lump on her bed and gave a hardened sigh. The silent treatment, huh? It's not like he didn't deserve it at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know you're mad." Oswald said as he walked further into her room and over to the bed. "But you get why I can't let you be out with them, don't you? If anything happened to you Sabrina, I don't know if I could..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oswald cut himself off when he realized that the lump he assumed was Sabrina started moving in places not natural for a human girl. Raising a suspicious eyebrow, he took a hold of her covers and threw them over to the side. Underneath was not the honorary princess, but instead 10 or so bunny children that all looked up at him in glee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey Papa!" they happily proclaimed before bounding on to him. The dog pile caused him to careen backwards onto the floor. He gave his kids a few moments to smother him before he tried to get them off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright," he said, using a more authoritative voice as he got up, "What happened to Sabrina?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bunny children circled around him, happily bouncing up and down as they told their father, "Sabreenie was rescued by Ven-Ven!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oswald's heart stopped. Giving the bunny children a dark glare -some even recoiling from it- he then questioned, "Where did they go?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No telling!" quite a few chirped at him. "We promised not to tell, Papa!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Growing more irritated with each passing second, Oswald pulled down on his ears as his face fumed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's it!" he demanded as he started to storm out of the room. "If she's going to be stubborn- then I'll lock her in here until she's 65! And those Keyblade wielders? I'll shove them back into the Lanes Between myself, or sentence them to life in the cells without lunch!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hearing this, the bunny children all let out a squeal of fear before blocking the way out. Oswald almost felt ashamed that he was going to kick them out of the way. Maybe it was this abusive thought that made him pause to hear their case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Papa no!" the bunny children all chorused at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sabreenie wants adventure!" some told him, miming a sword fought amongst themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sabreenie wants a challenge!" a few others added- this group flexing their imaginary muscles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then one bunny child gently tugged at Oswald's hand. When he looked down at them, the kid said to him in a small voice, "Mama would have wanted Sabreenie to go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking down at this one bunny child is what broke him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fine." he sighed. But just as the bunny kids started to cheer, he then made a quick amendment of, "But only for tonight!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whether or not they actually heard him was a matter of debate.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. In Memoriam</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Sabrina takes Ven to where it all started, and a shapeshifter takes an interesting form.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sabrina hefted the D.E.C. grate up with a grunt. It opened up enough that she was able to slink out, then got into a position so she could force the grate open the rest of the way. She even helped Ven out of the D.E.C. without so much a blink at him. Ventus gave her a small nod of thanks before getting a look at their new surroundings.</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn't much at first. The small space the D.E.C. resided in held nothing but brown rock, with the occasional light blue or amber crystal jutting out from the side. It was when Ventus and Sabrina stepped out into the open more that he immediately gawked at their surroundings. The two were now standing on a steel floor with vents blowing steam into the air, protecting them from the active lava flow underneath. Connected to the floor were a series of pipes that went up and over to an even larger pipe that stood in front of the source of the lava flow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is this place?" Ven wondered as he stepped further out. The heat from the lava becoming more and more overwhelming with every step. Sabrina's face was starting to flush from it- there was enough sweat starting to build on his back that Ven wondered if he was looking a bit overheated as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This is the Devil side of the Angel and Devil Caverns." Sabrina told him, making a vague gesture at a large carving on the opposite side of them. It detailed a round demon-like face that sent a small shiver up Ventus's back. "Stay close. That lava's just as, if not more, bad for you as thinner is."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ven gave a quick nod before sprinting closer to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is this where you want Aqua to train you?" he curiously asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course not." she spat. "The place we need is up there."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy gave Sabrina a curious look before noting what direction her finger was now pointing in. What he saw made his jaw drop. At an almost equal divide, the other side of the Angel and Devil Caverns revealed the meaning of the dual name. Where the Devil side was low to the ground, the Angel side had many raised platforms. But the main interest was the carving of a large woman with angel wings into the rock. Something about the woman seemed familiar, but Ven couldn't quite place it. Sabrina, too, seemed to keep her gaze locked on the angel before giving a small shake of her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come on." she told Ven. "It's too hot in this area to stay for too long."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ven only gave a short nod as they continued on. By the metal platform on this side of the cavern, there were a series of rock formations. The formations were just spaced about that you could simply jump from one to another, granting a more than exhaustive way of reaching the Angel portion. It worked either way- Sabrina seemed sure in her footing while Ventus was close to stumbling behind. They kept climbing until they got to the main platform of this area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This is it." Sabrina decided as she stood a bit straighter, her gaze focused on the angel carving. "This is where I want Aqua to train me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's beautiful." Ven remarked in wonder. He moved close to the edge of this platform and realized with a jolt how much higher up they were now. Ignoring another shiver from running up his back, he then went on to ask, "Why here, though?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first, Ventus was given nothing but silence. The lack of answer made him blink for a moment before turning around. Sabrina wasn't there anymore. Before he could panic though, he realized that she was still on the main platform, but she had taken a spot that was directly looking at the angel carving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ven gave a curious tilt of his head as he moved closer to her. "Sabrina?" he carefully asked. "Are you alright?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still no answer. As Ven considered placing a hand on her shoulder to get Sabrina's attention again, that was when the young woman finally said something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This is where I was found."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What do you mean?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina remained still. In a way, she was contemplating her words before telling him, "You saw the Devil side, didn't you? All that pipework is to provide Wasteland with central heating. When Oswald and the Mad Doctor first put them in, there was a minor earthquake. Since it felt like it came from this side of the cavern, they decided it check out what happened." Sabrina summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at the carving. "I appeared right there. The carving wasn't there yet, so all that remained was an alcove and a girl surrounded by Guardians."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ventus was standing next to her now. Her face unreadable as she continued to give the carving an intense glare.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The carving itself was added a bit after the vents were finished. Can't you see it? Oswald made sure that it looked like me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was when Ventus gave her a confused hum before looking back at the carving. Now that she said something, he could see the resemblance. If she got dressed in a robe with a hood, then it would be easier to see the similarities.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But how did you get there?" he then asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't know." came the small answer as Sabrina let down her hand, and dispelled the Keyblade. "My memories begin with a white light, a nagging feeling that I should be meeting someone, then Oswald asking if I was alright. There were a lot of rumors after I was found. A few people started to make the assumption that I was one of the Seven Sisters- part of some fable around here. And while Oswald denies that I'm nothing more than a normal girl, there are... things that kinda make that a lie."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Like being a Keyblade wielder?" Ven asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina gave a stiff nod. "Like being a Keyblade wielder." She paused for a moment before going on, just speaking her thoughts now, “I don’t know if it's possible, or how it could even happen; but it was like a part of my heart became one with the heart of Wasteland. Or maybe it was the other way around. Whatever happened, it was like we were sleeping for years and years. Then one day, I woke up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That was the moment Oswald found you, wasn't it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So you are listening." Sabrina retorted, giving a halfhearted snort. "You seem like the type to space out a lot when lectures happen."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To this, Ven could not refute. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head while giving an even more embarrassed chuckle. Sabrina looked over at him. She raised an eyebrow at Ventus but didn't voice her thoughts. He caught her glare and only chuckled a bit more as his cheeks started to flush. The more she opened up, the more he distantly realized that they had some things in common. Especially on how their memories...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Chirithy!" Ven suddenly declared when the idea came to him. Sabrina's glare did not let up. If anything, it hardened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Chirithy?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Chirithy." the boy nodded. "They're a special kind of Dream Eater that help with your memories. A Dream Eater is... well, it would be easier to show you!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now going with what he believed was a good idea, the boy called out for the Dream Eater. It appeared in the air before landing into his arms. Sabrina recoiled a bit at seeing the creature.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Chirithy!" Ven happily exclaimed, "You can help sort out memories, right?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well..." the creature sheepishly replied, "All Dream Eaters can in some degree. But we Chirithy exist to help and serve our assigned Keyblade wielder. We don't do that kind of stuff without permission from someone higher up. You know?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ven's shoulders slacked at this. "Oh." he sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, don't be like that," Chirithy smiled. "You'll find your memories in time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But that was Ven shook his head. "Not my memories." he insisted. He set Chirithy down on the ground (taking mind to back up a few paces from the ledge), having them face Sabrina. "We were talking about hers."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chirithy adjusted itself from being set down, then looked up at Sabrina. For a moment, as the two gave direct eye contact, some sense of recognition flickered between the two of them. It led to a long, curious silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You..." the creature tried to say, but its words kept getting lost in its throat. "You are...?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina stood a bit straighter, her eyes narrowing on the creature. "Do I have to give introductions to you too?" she prudently asked it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh no, no, no!" Chirithy immediately replied, waving its arms in defense. "Ventus has told me all about you. You're Sabrina, the princess of this world. Or close enough to one." The creature let out a small hum before getting back to the matter at hand. "So you say that your memory is a bit disconnected too? You can't remember anything beyond when Oswald found you, correct?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina's mouth pressed into a small line. "That's right." she agreed. Her tone had been ambiguous- something Ven wouldn't realize until later. "Are you able to do something about it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chirithy thought it over, considering its options on just what to reveal to the duo. For now, it settled with, "Even if we Chirithy are given permission to help untangle our wielder's thoughts, that's just the thing. They have to be </span>
  <span>
    <em>our</em>
  </span>
  <span> wielder."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So you can't help her because you're not her Chirithy." Ven asked; a frown was tugging at his lips. He then had a thought that caused his whole body to sag. "And that's assuming she had a Chirithy to begin with. You said something about that when we first met- about how you were tied to me, but Aqua and Terra couldn’t have a Chirithy of their own because Chirithy have to be assigned to certain Keyblade wielders."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Something like that." Chirithy agreed with a nod. "I can't be a help right now, and I'm really sorry for it. But you know what they say: that's how the cookie crumbles."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're doing your best." Ven told the creature, bending down to its height to give it a gentle pat on the head. Chirithy let out a soft sight as it allowed Ven to switch his pats to gentle rubbing. Sabrina continued to look on. Her face boarding something of both jealousy and disgust as she watched them. There was something on her mind. A nagging feeling that only got stronger during this whole pointless conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Chirithy, I have a question." she finally decided to ask. The Dream Eater immediately took a step away from Ven's affection to look at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is it?" it asked. Chirithy's voice had been eager, as if it were waiting for her to say something directly to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How did you-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My, what a sweet assemblage." a new voice cut in. "I figured you would be enamored with the newcomers. However, I never would have assumed you would have been attached to one so... intimately."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina, Ventus, and Chirithy all turned their attention to the newcomer. Both teens put on a look of absolute hatred as they summoned their Keyblades. An act that surely made the newcomer chuckle a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mizrabel." Sabrina spat at the same time Ventus exclaimed, "Maleficent!" The opposing name made the boy pause for a moment, turning to the girl in confusion. The newcomer looked more like the dark fairy than anyone else. It was unmistakable: her green skin, the dark robes, even the scepter she carried around. This was Maleficent, so why did Sabrina think otherwise? Did the dark fairy have a secret twin somewhere?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Maleficent clone must have realized this because she looked right at Ventus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You must have me confused with someone else, boy." she calmly said. She took a few steps forward; both teens held their weapons a bit closer. "You see, I have the ability to take on many different forms. I can assume that you have met this current visage before? She is a beautifully cunning person, isn't she?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What do you want?" Sabrina demanded. "You never come to the caverns."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now Mizrabel turned her attention to the girl. "I'm a lot like you, dear." she assured. "I'm curious. Do you know how long it's been since a new heart has arrived here? Let alone with one with so many ties."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Deciding she had heard enough of the shapeshifter's rambling, Sabrina let out a cry before going to attack Mizrabel. She was easily brushed off with a flick of Mizrabel's wrist- Sabrina acting like she had been hit as she flew a short distance, landing back on the ground with a less than graceful skid. Ven remained where he was out of surprise. He looked up again to find that Mizrabel was withing arm's length.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can see why she's taken a liking to you." Mizrabel crooned as she brushed a hand against Ven's face. The teen immediately recoiled from the cold touch. Mizrabel smirked as she started to walk away again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What did you do to him?" Chirithy spoke up, now earning Mizrabel's attention. She gave a less than interested turn to the Dream Eater. She smirked as she walked up the creature. It wouldn't let her touch it though. Chirithy continued to move out of the way every time she tried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You never were the best liar." she mused before standing up again. "Funny, considering who are you tied to."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even Chirithy gave a dark glare -one that suspiciously mirrored Sabrina's own- that led to Mizrabel letting out another laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, if you are all wondering, I suppose I could show you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Letting out a nasty cackle, the shapeshifter raised her arms and a dark light enveloped her. The others had to cover their eyes from the radiance, and when they were able to open them again, there was someone new in Mizrabel's stead. Or rather, she had taken on a different form. Instead of looking like Maleficent, Mizrabel was now a girl around the same age as Sabrina and Ventus. She had fair skin, long orange hair tied back into two low pigtails, and a flowing linen dress with cold shoulder bell sleeves. Seafoam green eyes, meant to be filled with a kind light, looked back at Ventus with a malicious gleam.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Her name is Strelitzia." Mizrabel informed them in a malicious voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ven's eyes widened at the shapeshifter's new form. Something... something was familiar but... but...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head hurt. It hurt like it was being lit on fire. Ventus let out a scream as he held his head. Too many thoughts, too many conflicting </span>
  <span>
    <em>memories</em>
  </span>
  <span> were filling his head at once. Sabrina held a genuinely horrified expression as she watched. Mizrabel seemed amused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Such a visceral reaction to something so trivial." Mizrabel callously noted. "Who could have thought that this boy's memories could be more fractured that yours, darling. Almost as if someone broke already broken pieces..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina looked up at Mizrabel. Her paled face now being overcome with fury. The girl worked herself up off the ground, taking her Keyblade with both hands before rushing at Mizrabel once more. The shapeshifter anticipated as much. Without even turning around, she too summoned a Keyblade before blocking Sabrina's attack. Sabrina growled as she refused to let up. Instead, she made a faint side glance back to Chirithy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Chirithy, go get Terra and Aqua."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Dream Eater jumped at being called. "But you-!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just do it!" Sabrina snapped as Mizrabel got her off. Watching as the two engaged in combat, the Dream Eater had no choice but to nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"R-right." it agreed before disappearing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizrabel noted the Dream Eater's leave and laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You just made a grave mistake, darling." she mused before lunging at Sabrina.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Do-Gooders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Terra and Aqua arrive at just the right time, and more secrets are kept.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>No joke, this took me awhile to work on because I've kinda been neglecting it. At the same time, I was also working on some oneshots for a femslash month event and a Union Cross appreciation week event over on Tumblr, so it's kinda justified? I'm not sure if I'm going to post those oneshots anywhere else than on Tumblr yet. But if I do, you'll start seeing those next week.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Terra and Aqua had spent most of the evening at Mean Street. To occupy their time, they went around to ask any citizens if they had seen (or at least heard of) Sora. The two ended up meeting a local reporter outside the theater. It was a horse-like person, similar to Horace Horsecollar, who went by the name Jack Kelly. Terra had wanted to immediately ask if he had seen Sora, but Aqua advocated for a more gentle approach. Instead, she casually asked Jack Kelly for any decent news around town. Besides their own arrival, there was news of a dwarf named Deafy who had upset the organ in the Haunted Mansion, and there was even a petition started in Tomorrow City to get the Peoplemover bridges open again.</p>
<p>It was when the horse-person started to warble on about rival news anchors that Aqua finally asked about Sora. Either her description of Sora was too weird for this world (spiky brown hair, blue eyes, fair skinned with a light tan, close in age to Sabrina), or Jack Kelly really did not like being cut off when he was talking. He gave Aqua a rather hard stare as she tried to better describe the lost wielder. After she was done, he started to think everything over.</p>
<p>"Well, I know <em>of</em> a Sora,” he eventually admitted. “But I don't think it's the one you're looking for. You're Sora's a he, right?"</p>
<p>"That's right."</p>
<p>"Nope,” the horse person decided with a shake of his head. “Who I'm thinking of isn't the Sora you're looking for then. The Sora <em>I</em> know of is one of those gargoyles that takes occupation in certain parts of Rainbow Caverns. Definitely not who you're trying to find, I'd wager."</p>
<p>"No." Aqua agreed, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "But thank you anyway.”</p>
<p>“If you do hear something, could you let us know?" Terra asked.</p>
<p>"Of course! I'd be the first to learn of anything new here in Wasteland, or my name isn't Jack Kelly!"</p>
<p>Terra and Aqua gave the reporter a small nod before taking their leave.</p>
<p>“I told you we wouldn’t be able to find him here.” Aqua told Terra as they then proceeded to walk aimlessly to the tip of Main Street North. Terra looked over at her to study her expression before putting on a wide grin.</p>
<p>“Master Aqua,” he then teased, “You’re not giving up, are you?”</p>
<p>The mere idea of it caused Aqua to freeze in place. Her shocked expression only gave Terra room to laugh at her. Before Aqua was able to fully realize he was joking, they both heard the terrified cry of Chirithy in the distance.</p>
<p>“Terra! Aqua! Where are you?!”</p>
<p>The two wielders flashed each other a quick look before heading to the source of Chirithy’s shouts. They met in the middle, some place around the Emporium.</p>
<p>“There you are!” Chirithy exclaimed, running up to them.</p>
<p>“Chirithy, what’s wrong?” Aqua asked, bending down to the Dream Eater’s height.</p>
<p>“It’s Sabrina and Ven,” it told them, “They’re in trouble! BIG trouble! You need to go help them now!”</p>
<p>A chill ran up the two wielders’ spines.</p>
<p>"Can you lead us to them?" Terra questioned, although it came out more as a demand.</p>
<p>"Mostly." it said. "Come on!"</p>
<p>The two gave Chirithy a nod before following its lead. It led them back to where the D.E.C. entrance was underneath the train station. But something was there that they didn’t expect; a second Chirithy. It was urgently fussing with the D.E.C. hatch as it waited for everyone to come together. Seeing a second Chirithy stopped Terra and Aqua in their tracks.</p>
<p>"Over here!" the other Chirithy told them, urgently waving them over. "Come on, hurry!"</p>
<p>"There's two of them?" Terra questioned. "How?"</p>
<p>"We'll tell you why later." Ven's Chirithy quickly told him as it pushed against his legs. "Just keep going!"</p>
<p>Terra gave a nod before he and Aqua went into the D.E.C. with their Keyblades already out.</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p>The beauty of the Angel Caverns was easily disrupted by the sounds of metal clashing against metal. At the top of the numerous platforms, where the area was more of a ledge overlooking the Devil Caverns, two females fought each other with weapons of light. Or, at least, one possessed a true weapon of light. The other was fake, created to match the weapon that was once wielded by the original face of the other, but it was no less of a threat.</p>
<p>“You have such an admirable fighting spirit, my dear.” the shape shifter Mizrabel, now guised as a young woman with long orange hair and a lovely linen dress, purred before firing a magic spell at Sabrina. The raven haired girl blocked the attack, and immediately reflected it back. It nearly hit Mizrabel by a hair. “If only it translated well into your actual fighting techniques. That weapon of yours might actually be a threat.”</p>
<p>“At least mine is real.” Sabrina spat. “Yours is just a product of your illusions.”</p>
<p>“And yet,” Mizrabel mused with a click of her tongue, “I’m still overpowering you. I thought you had a teacher now, darling. But wait- what’s our dear leader going to say when his preferred heir is going out of her way to hurt him? I mean, threaten this world’s sense of hope, of course. We could never afford to lose that.”</p>
<p>The growl that erupted from Sabrina’s throat was near feral as she blindly came at Mizrabel. It only took a simple side step to avoid the attack.</p>
<p>“It’s such a shame that the Keyblade chose you.” Mizrabel sighed. “You have so much darkness in your heart, it’s amazing there’s any light left in you at all.”</p>
<p>Sabrina did not answer at first. She turned back around to face the shapeshifter, holding her Keyblade tight with both hands.</p>
<p>“Maybe it’s <em>because</em> of my darkness that it chose me.” she challenged.</p>
<p>Mizrabel openly laughed. She took a few steps forward, dispelling her weapon as if they were coming to a truce. Knowing that the shape shifter was in no way finished, Sabrina did not let her guard down.</p>
<p>“You’re a smart little girl.” Mizrabel crooned, giving a small wave of her hand. “But do you really believe in yourself like that?”</p>
<p>The teen’s body stiffened. For once during the entire fight, her hold on her weapon became a tad bit loose. Her face detailed a conflict that she normally did not let show.</p>
<p>“Didn’t think so.” Mizrabel smirked before summoning her weapon once more. Before Sabrina had time to react, she was hit at blunt range. The blow came at her with more force than what she had been expecting, Sabrina was sent flying to the platform’s ledge. It was by luck that she was able to catch herself before falling off the platform completely.</p>
<p>“Well this scene looks familiar.” Mizrabel mused as she came back over. Cursing under her breath, Sabrina tried her best to get her lower body from back over the ledge before Mizrabel came over. It was just as easy as wading through gelatin. It was embarrassing. Mizrabel stood above Sabrina now, a malicious grin crossing lips never meant to form that way. “I believe the next line is, ‘Long live the queen.’”</p>
<p>Sabrina looked up at Mizrabel in urgency. There was no way. There was no <em>way</em> that the shape shifter would actually try to harm her. The look of surprise on Sabrina’s face melted into one of anger.</p>
<p>“You’re just as bad as the Mad Doctor!” she declared in pure spite. It only earned another laugh from Mizrabel.</p>
<p>“What a coincidence, then.” she smiled. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that the doc knows how to get the three new wielders out of our world. Funny how he hasn’t told anyone yet… But that’s not as funny as you never getting out of here alive.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”</p>
<p>Interrupted by a new voice, Mizrabel turned around to see Terra and Aqua ready to fight. An impatient sigh escaped her lips.</p>
<p>“Being in a world founded by do-gooders is so boring.” the shape shifter said, more to herself than anyone else. “They always have to swoop him, say some clever one-liner, then mop the floor with you. But I don’t want to play that game today; not any more. I’m too tired now.”</p>
<p>When the older wielders started to advance toward her, Mizrabel gave a wave of her hand and a cloud of smoke enveloped her body. She was gone by the time Terra could even land a hit. Aqua immediately went to Sabrina to help her back to safety. There were no thanks given at the act, just a sneer before Sabrina dusted off her clothes. Terra located Ven and didn’t waste time to make sure his friend was alright. Ven remained unresponsive, but was still fine otherwise, so Terra picked him up off the ground without hesitation. With everyone safe, they all went back to Dark Beauty in silence.</p>
<p>Sabrina lingered close to Aqua and Terra as they placed Ven in his guest room. She remained behind when they decided to leave. The older two didn’t question her. It might have been a good thing too, because right outside the door was Chirithy.</p>
<p>“Can you two follow me?” it said to them, its voice rather small. “We need to talk about… a certain something.”</p>
<p>“Of course.” Terra and Aqua agreed at the same time. Chirithy gave a nod before leading them around the corridor. Waiting there was a second Chirithy- but they almost expected this. It was Aqua who bent down to be close to their height before asking the obvious.</p>
<p>“So there’s two of you?”</p>
<p>The Chirithy nodded.</p>
<p>“Please don’t tell Ventus or my wielder.” the second Chirithy requested. “Of anyone, they of all people can not know about us.”</p>
<p>“Your wielder?” Aqua asked, giving a curious tilt of her head.</p>
<p>“Sabrina.” Terra realized. Aqua stood back up to give him a curious look. She was about to question against it, but the second Chirithy spoke up before she could.</p>
<p>“Yes. Sabrina.” it agreed. “You must have gathered by now how much of an anomaly she is around here. Because of events that took place before you three arrived, Oswald has been trying to keep her as close as possible. Which means… keeping things from her.”</p>
<p>“Keeping <em>you</em> from her.” Aqua softly said. Chirithy nodded.</p>
<p>“It’s for the best.” Ven’s Chirithy added. “Think of it for the same reasons why we already do not tell Ven a lot about his history. We’ve all seen what happens when Ven has a memory conflict, we both would hate to see it happen to another wielder too…”</p>
<p>The four of them fell silent at this. Having what amounted to a panic attack, then becoming unconscious after, it was an infrequent occurrence in Ventus that he, his friends, and Chirithy were starting to find the root of. But it was a slippery slope- one wrong word and Ven’s heart would be sleeping for hours, maybe even days. Even now -although Terra and Aqua didn’t know what triggered it yet- how long it would take for Ven to wake up was uncertain.</p>
<p>“So which Chirithy led us to the D.E.C.?” Terra questioned as soon as the thought occurred to him.</p>
<p>“That was me.” Ven’s Chirithy told them. “But I wasn’t in the caverns with them before that. I had let Chirithy go when Ven had called me for help.”</p>
<p>“It was very nice of Chirithy to do that.” Sabrina’s Chirithy agreed. “I haven’t been allowed to see Sabrina in awhile. Oswald wouldn’t allow it.”</p>
<p>“They even call themselves Chirithy.” Terra mumbled under his breath. “As if this wasn’t confusing enough…”</p>
<p>Aqua laughed a bit before getting to the Chirithy’s height again. She used her hands to give each of them a small pat on the head.</p>
<p>“We need to find a way to set these guys apart.” she mused.</p>
<p>After she finished ruffling their heads, the Chirithy looked at each other with equal glances of confusion. Their expressions remained the same before looking back to Terra and Aqua.</p>
<p>“But we’re Chirithy.” they said in equal unison.</p>
<p>“It would be up to you, of course.” Aqua laughed. “We’re not going to force you to change just for our benefit.”</p>
<p>“Maybe one could wear a hat.” Terra mused, stifling a laugh of his own.</p>
<p>“Sabrina used to be familiar with a wielder whose Chirithy wore a hat like his.” Sabrina’s Chirithy playfully mused. “I was always kinda jealous of it. It looked like it was made out of silk and everything.”</p>
<p>At this, the four of them went into a light laughter. They tried to keep most of it from getting too loud, in case someone else was hearing. There were still a few secrets to be had, but it was nice to share some of it with others.</p>
<p>For someone else, secrets were the one thing she wished people would outright tell her. Sabrina paced near the foot of Ven’s guest bed with her arms folded in front of her. Something that Mizrabel had said still stuck in her mind. She could deal with the taunting of being a bad fighter. She could even hold off on telling everyone that the Mad Doctor might have some idea of where the keyhole was until tomorrow. But it was the form that Mizrabel took, the way Ventus reacted to it, and what Mizrabel said in relation to his reaction that made Sabrina pace.</p>
<p>
  <em>Already broken pieces…</em>
</p>
<p>“Sabrina…?” Ven slurred as he tried to sit up.</p>
<p>Sabrina blinked out of her train of thought before giving him her attention. Her gaze was steely and unrelenting as she looked at him. Seeing it made Ven sheepishly rub the back of his neck.</p>
<p>“How long was I out?” he ventured to ask. Sabrina looked away again.</p>
<p>“Not long.” she told him. She closed her eyes for a moment before asking, “Who was she?”</p>
<p>The question had caught him off guard. He raised an eyebrow at her in waiting for her to further explain. Sabrina held herself a bit tighter before letting out an annoyed sigh.</p>
<p>“The way Mizrabel’s magic works is that she takes memories of people once connected to you, and takes their forms into her own body.” she told him. The annoyance in her voice was more than noticeable as she went on. “She’s able to copy abilities and sometimes even muscle memory this way. For the record, never let her touch you again. She might trudge up someone more powerful than another Keyblade wielder or a dark fairy.”</p>
<p>“Noted.” Ven agreed with a nod.</p>
<p>“The form that Mizrabel took.” Sabrina then said once more. “The one she took from your memories. Who was it?”</p>
<p>“I…” Ven tried to say. “I… I can’t remember.” The young man looked down at his hands before trying to explain, “There are parts of my memory that I can’t recall at all. Sometimes when I try, everything just… goes wrong. My head starts to hurt, I black out. Chirithy has told me that it's trying to help sort everything out. But…”</p>
<p>“But it’s like someone broke already broken pieces…”</p>
<p>Ven looked up at her. “Huh?” he wondered.</p>
<p>“Never mind.” Sabrina insisted with a shake of her head. “It’s getting late. I’ll tell Terra and Aqua that you woke up, but other than that, I could care less. Good night, Ventus.”</p>
<p>“Good night.” Ven warily repeated. He watched her leave as she kept her head down. For some reason, he had a feeling that no one was going to sleep well tonight.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Ghost Host</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which, Terra, Aqua, Sabrina, and Ventus help a beheaded clairvoyant.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I feel like I'm distilling Sabrina the more I go along. Not sure if my inspiration is waning for this story or not- which is a shame in and of itself because we're about halfway through my initial outline (and my extension, the story at whole).<br/>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lilac curtains swayed in a gentle breeze as morning light came through the window. Sabrina, already dressed for the day, looked up at the ceiling with an intense focus. Day 3 of housing the ones who interrupted her coronation, and they just now had clues on where Wasteland's keyhole might be. It was the Mad Doctor of all people who could know too. The very same Mad Doctor who decided to betray Oswald during the Thinner Disaster. The very same Mad Doctor who only pretended to be Oswald's friend in the early days to get on his good side, with full thoughts of overthrowing him at some point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina hated him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not that it wasn't unusual, really. But there was a special kind of hatred set aside for the Mad Doctor. It was people like the Mad Doctor that solidified Sabrina's distrust of others. Anyone could turn on you. Anyone could abandon you. That was why she could only take Terra, Aqua, and Ventus with a grain of salt. They could turn on her too. But... at the very least Aqua seemed fairly honest. No one really worked that hard to go against what Oswald wanted for Sabrina- besides Sabrina herself. Terra seemed like the type who could understand holding darkness close to your heart. Or reject it entirely. It was hard to get a good read on how he would react, considering what little she's seen of him so far. And then there was Ventus...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A grimace made its way onto Sabrina's face as she sat up. The plan was still the same- to get Terra, Aqua, and Ventus out of Wasteland as soon as possible. When did it get so complicated? Find the keyhole, get attacked by a shape shifter, confront the Mad Doc, hope he was in a good mood to actually be helpful. She didn't like this. She didn't like </span>
  <span>
    <em>them</em>
  </span>
  <span>. But her heart wanted them to stay- there was just a curiosity too profound to ignore. They could travel to other worlds. Aqua could train her to actually learn something about the Keyblade other than relying on muscle memory.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The plan was the same, but her heart craved a different outcome.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mean Street wasn't that busy today, which didn't feel too off. Seeing the party crashing trio patiently waiting for her at Paulie's made things uncomfortable. To what </span>
  <span>
    <em>kind</em>
  </span>
  <span> of discomfort was beyond her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The Mad Doctor knows where the keyhole is." Sabrina announced to the others once she was close enough. "To do that, we have to go to Bog Easy. We can take the train, but it might be leaving soon, so we shouldn't waste any more time standing around."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We're following your lead." Aqua replied with a nod. The boys followed suit right after. Sabrina looked the three of them over, the corner of her mouth twitching with some thought she didn't know whether to voice or not.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Then let's get going." she decided before the four of them moved on out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina did not sit during the train ride to Bog Easy. Instead, she had her arms folded and her gaze steely as she watched the three friends occupy their time. Aqua had apparently found a travel guide and was reading through it with some interest. Meanwhile Terra kept harassing Ventus for not sitting properly- not that there was much to see outside. The thinner seas became an effective barrier between hub areas. Nothing but green for miles until the next area came into view. Hearing Ventus gawk at Ventureland as they went passed it was a little heartwarming. His disappointment after was admittedly a bit humorous too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What a bunch of tourists.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The train came to a stop in Bog Easy, and the four of them did not hesitate to get out. The swamp that mostly made up Bog Easy was particularly hazy this time of day, despite the lack of natural light. Beyond several street lamps along what amounted to a haphazard road, lanterns were strung from the old fashioned buildings as the only light source.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This place is so cool!" Ven marveled as he got a look around. "Look at the lanterns hanging off the clotheslines! It's like they're floating in the air!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Certainly is a change from Mean Street." Terra carefully agreed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's like we stepped into a different world." Aqua then remarked- unsure if she should be in awe or slight fear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You mean you didn't get that feeling in the Floatyard?" Sabrina questioned with a raise of her eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To this, Aqua let out a small laugh as her cheeks flared a light pink. "I guess I didn't consider it at the time." she admitted. "It was a graveyard, and carried the term well. For every area of a single to world to be so diverse in its appearance... You have to admit that it's not very common."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I wouldn't know." came the rather bitter response. "I've only ever been in one world my entire life."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sabrina, I didn't mean..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The Lonesome Manor is this way," the teen told them, quite loudly, before heading in the right direction. Aqua studied Sabrina for a moment before letting out a small sigh. She and the boys followed dutifully behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina walked around Bog Easy with an uncertainty she definitely didn't show when they were at Mean Street. She seemed to almost walk on her toes, looking around for something to jump out at them. There wasn't any hesitation when she led them through a graveyard further north of the train station. She didn't even give Terra, Aqua, and Ven time to gawk at the looming Lonesome Manor as they approached it. The only time she looked back to see if they were still behind her was after they were at the manor's front porch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You three ready?" she asked- her voice as sharp as usual. But there was something in her face; an uneasiness that took a keen observer to notice. Aqua certainly felt so, at least.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is there anything we should be looking out for?" Aqua asked, feeling it necessary considering the general rush to get to this point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina grimaced. "Ghosts."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ghosts?" Terra, Aqua, and Ven repeated at the same time before giving each other confused glances. Sabrina rolled her eyes before turning back to the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You'll find out soon enough." she huffed. It didn't ease the trio's thoughts any as she knocked on the door. The door to the Lonesome Manor swung open as if someone had opened it from the other side. Sabrina did not hesitate to head on in. Terra followed in soon after her, then Ven as well. Aqua lingered outside for a moment in thought before shaking her head and entering too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The manor's foyer was almost completely riddled with dust. Cobwebs hung off the large chandelier above them, and even off the banister that led up to the second floor. It would have looked very grand in better times, but one would have to wonder when those better times had been for a place stuck in a forgotten world.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We need to ask Madame Leona if the Mad Doctor is even in the attic at the moment." Sabrina informed the other three, turning around on her heel to face them. "It would be pointless to trudge all the way up to find he's not even there."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Where do we find Madame Leona?" Ven asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina prepared to tell him something, but was cut off when a loud, angry scream (that sounded a lot like "You monsters!") resounded through the mansion. All four wielders summoned their Keyblades on first instinct. But instead of a monster coming into the foyer, a crystal ball rolled rather quickly at the top of the staircase. It started to bounce down the steps while making soft thumps with each landing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Madame Leona!" Sabrina realized before rushing over to the crystal ball. She scooped it up before it could bounce down the last few steps, then quickly checked it over for scratches. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus got a bit closer while Sabrina continued to inspect the crystal ball.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Which ghost kicked you out of the library now?" Sabrina asked as she held the crystal ball at about eye level. The three other Keyblade wielders nearly jumped back in shock when a head appeared instead the ball. It was of a female close to her elder years with high, sunken in cheekbones and wrinkles on her forehead. Her hair floated aimlessly around her, giving the air of being suspended in weightless nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Screeching Sam." the head told her with an offended scoff. "It wouldn't have been so bad, but then some little monsters came along and pushed me out completely. Kicked me around like I was a soccer ball- it was woefully uncivil."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It must have been the Heartless." Terra said, speaking more of a thought out loud than to anyone in particular.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, </span>
  <span>
    <em>whatever</em>
  </span>
  <span> it was, I could care less." Leona decided. "I just want to get back to my library and my books."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To this, Sabrina scowled. "Leona, we only came to see if the Mad Doctor was in his attic, not to help you bust ghosts."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And my help comes with a fee." the decapitated head shot back. "Help me get back to my library, and I'll help you reach the Mad Doctor's attic to talk to him. Or help prepare for his resistance, anyway. You know how much he loves cooperating."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The exhausted sigh Sabrina gave was enough to clue Terra, Aqua, and Ventus in on how annoying the Mad Doctor apparently was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fine." Sabrina agreed, adjusting her grip on the crystal ball so Leona could see out on the path ahead. To the other three, the teen said, "We have to go through the ballroom. If the ghosts are running around, we'd need to be on the lookout. They know nothing other than to prank others. They'll use the Heartless too if they're dumb enough to follow an even dumber leader."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Terra, Aqua, and ven gave her an agreeing nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We'll stay on our toes." Aqua promised. Sabrina and Madame Leona gave each other the same doubtful expression before the group headed onward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a definite eeriness to Lonesome Manor. The air was stiff, along with everything being so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Every now and again you could hear someone laugh, but when you looked over your shoulder, nothing was there. The only one who didn't seem too off guard by everything was Leona- even Sabrina looked more tense than anyone had seen her so far.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In hopes to ease things, Aqua was the first to talk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Madame Leona, if you do not mind me asking, what is your role here in the manor? Besides tending to the library, of course."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm a clairvoyant, of course." came the rather proud reply. "I call upon the spirits of Wasteland to learn all sorts of knowledge; including past, present, and future matters."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So you could just as easily tell us where the Mad Doctor is without being in the library?" Terra asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Could. But I can't. The spirits are in a bit of a frenzy since you three showed up. Frenzied spirits are not exactly the most talkative of spirits, as you can imagine." Madame Leona then looked a bit smug before adding, "Besides, I already told you- if you want my help, then you must help me first. We agreed."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Right." Terra agreed with a nod. He didn't really like that they were taking the long way about this, but if it had to be done...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The group entered the ballroom with caution. The air on this room felt a bit different- still stiff, but colder as well. Aqua could feel her hair stand up as a chill brushed by them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, well, well... Look what the cat dragged in."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A moment later, a ghost appeared in front of them, surprising Ventus enough that he almost jumped. The ghost looked at them all with a teasing grin as he flitting in between them. He made approving noises over Terra, snorted at Ven's unease, and blew a short wolf whistle at Aqua. He refused to get a good look at Madame Leona and Sabrina- possibly due to the rather harsh glare they were giving him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Let us through Sam." Sabrina demanded, her hold on Leona tightening a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah..." the ghost hummed. "Not gonna happen. You see, I've been kind bored recently since those monsters took over the library. So I was thinkin', since the princess was coming around with her new entourage, let's shake things up a bit. We could play a game!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Sabrina or Leona could ask him what he meant, the ghost disappeared again with a cackle. Not long after that, a table -one that had somehow gained flight abilities- almost sailed right into Terra's face. The man was able to get out of the way in time but was just as easily forced down when a chair ran into his back. There was no use in fighting back- other pieces of furniture came from every direction that led to the group splitting into different directions in hope of not getting hit. When they were able to make sense of everything again, Screeching Sam had rearranged the furniture into a maze. The borders were high enough that none of them could climb over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Whoever makes it to the pipe organ first wins!" Screeching Sam's voice gleefully called out. "Good luck!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On top of having a special hatred for the Mad Doctor, Sabrina was now wondering how much she really hated the ghosts at Lonesome Manor. Especially Screeching Sam.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, we might as well get going." Leona decided. "I can help navigate you for now. It wouldn't do if we ran into Heartless here. Especially when you're still holding me with no one else to act as backup."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, so </span>
  <span>
    <em>now</em>
  </span>
  <span> you're able to use your clairvoyance?" Sabrina immediately spat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You say as if you didn't notice how the Guardians protected you from the possessed furniture Sam had flying."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To be honest, she really hadn't. It must have been true in some way, considering she was still in roughly the same spot before meeting Sam compared to where ever Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had been shuffled to. Although the Guardians protecting her was rare. Maybe Leona saw a spirit or something and mistook it for a cluster of Guardians. Whatever the case, it didn't matter now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Where are we heading then?" Sabrina finally asked. The simple question giving her the feeling of giving up. Relying on others could be a chore, even if they were helpful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Straight ahead."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina gave a short nod before heading on. She did not like being told what to do, even with this small instance. Each time Leona told her to go a certain way, all force in the teen wanted to do the opposite. So what if Leona was just trying to lead them away from unnecessary fights? Sabrina could use the practice. Surely there must have been a way for her to keep Leona safe while still beating a Heartless or two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You could never fight with just one hand," Leona said at some point, apparently reading Sabrina's mind- or maybe just her scowling face. "You're still untrained enough that you would drop your weapon with two hands. And that's when your hands are not already full."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Shut up." the teen hissed. She held the crystal ball closer as if she planned to squeeze it to pieces. "Just because you're able to read the future doesn't mean you know everything."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leona let out a bemused snort that only served to annoy Sabrina further.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What direction are we heading in next?" Sabrina then questioned, her voice holding an edge to signal her growing annoyance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Make a right."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Leona, you told me to make a right three-" Sabrina cut herself off as she almost ran into Ventus. Ventus, likewise, did not notice her until they were close enough to be chest to chest. The two stared at each other in almost bewildered confusion for a rather long amount of time. It took Leona's rather loud, "Ah-HEM" to get their attention again. Sabrina scoffed. She took a few steps back before bringing the crystal ball up to eye level.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This wouldn't be a problem if you would use your telekinesis more often. That seems to be an ability you keep forgetting you have too."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"As if throwing my lovely books at the ghosts would hurt them. Let alone stop them." the head scoffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It would be better than being kicked out of the library like a soccer ball. Wouldn't it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now that we're back together," Ven spoke up, a hand sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, "We should probably work together to find Terra and Aqua."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We should." Sabrina agreed, rather begrudgingly. "But there's one thing you need to do first."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What's that?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without another word, Sabrina shoved Leona into Ven's arms. She gave him a smirk before saying, "Hold Leona for me. My arms are getting tired."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. That Poor Library...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Leona is reunited with her library- and a quick extermination of Heartless is in order.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey... it's been awhile. About a good month or so. I'm sorry. I literally had a season where I lost all will to write anything. Hopefully the next chapter will come faster to those of you who are actually enjoying this.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Separation was just one step away from isolation. It sounded redundant (and it was), but it was the only thought Aqua’s mind kept bringing her back to. This makeshift maze was not easing any of the goosebumps on her skin. Paintings were the biggest building block for the wall. Sure, some of the paintings repeated who was depicted in them, but the stares from the paintings made Aqua feel like she was being watched. Whenever she came across a little Beetleworx, her surprised swing was what took it out more than conscious effort. She was really starting to berate herself for getting so antsy.</p>
<p>
  <span>But wasn’t that just the thing? She’s been almost on edge since they’ve arrived in Wasteland. Something about this world felt wrong. She could almost feel the ebb of darkness flow out of the ground as naturally as air coming through a vent. The citizens of Wasteland were just as casual to be around it. It was their lifestyle, the way they simply went about their day. She had never been in a world where everyone was just so… desensitized to the corruption of darkness. Did they even know that darkness </span>
  <span>
    <em>could</em>
  </span>
  <span> corrupt?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A shiver ran up her back as she took out another Beetleworx. Three days in Wasteland and they still barely had the pieces of what held this world together. Sabrina had a Chirithy like Ven. Oswald kept Sabrina under lock and key to keep her safe from something. There had been an event called The Thinner Disaster that seemed to birth the problems for all of Wasteland’s citizens, and they apparently were still suffering from it. If it wasn’t for bad luck, this poor world wouldn’t have had any. It still wasn’t enough. There were still things being withheld from everyone. But was it within her right as a Keyblade master to look further into? Maybe-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua’s thoughts were put on hold when she heard a noise come from around a corner. She held her Keyblade in preparation as the noise became louder. For a fraction of a second, Aqua considered placing down a trap for the upcoming something to trip on, but she immediately thought differently when she saw who it was.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>Terra.” she said in a surprised gasp.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>The young man had yet to register anyone else was around the corner, allowing him to jump a bit in surprise. He looked up at her to give an anxious, “Aqua!” in return. Soon after, the two of them dissolved into a short, and very relieved, chuckle. They moved closer together, as if their unease would vanish the moment they were within arm’s distance.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>Have you seen Ven yet?” Aqua asked. Her Keyblade was still out despite knowing Terra was here now.</span></p>
<p>“<span>No.” the young man said with a shake of his head. “Have you?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>The Keyblade master also shook her head. “There hasn’t been any sign of Sabrina and Madame Leona either.” she added. “Trying to navigate through this maze hasn’t been easy. I understand that the Lonesome Manor is nothing more than a haunted house, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>But this world’s darkness is making everything more unsettling.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua held her Keyblade a bit tighter.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>Yes.” she agreed with a small nod. “Does it bother you too? The despair in this world is too great, yet life continues as if it doesn’t matter. Or… or maybe it does but everyone is just so complacent against it…”</span></p>
<p>“<span>Well, if it helps,” Terra mused as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder, “I’d much rather be in Disney Town than here. Rumble Racing would definitely take the edge off this place- or any kind of foot race for that matter. Something to get that blood pumping, you know? At least you’d be running from </span><span><em>something</em></span><span>.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>She must have been more anxious than what she gave credit for, because Aqua let out a soft giggle at the idea. That happened to be the moment a certain thought came to her.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>Has any of us checked our Gummiphones to try to reach out to King Mickey, Ienzo, or Riku?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>A small movement in Terra’s face indicated that he had never considered it either. Not a moment after, the two pulled out their phones and tried to see if they could contact anyone from outside.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>No dice.” Terra grunted. “It can’t get a signal from here.”</span></p>
<p>“<span>I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the manor itself.” Aqua sighed as she put her phone away. “On the other, perhaps this world is just so lost in darkness, the only way to open the signal to the others is to find this world’s keyhole.”</span></p>
<p>“<span>Again.” Terra noted.</span></p>
<p>“<span>Again.” came the agreeing sigh. “Hopefully this Mad Doctor will know where it is. We can’t keep running around in the dark like this.”</span></p>
<p>“<span>Or like rats in a maze.” Terra smirked as he gave a casual look of their T-cornered area. It earned another small laugh from Aqua.</span></p>
<p>“<span>Come on,” she told him, “There’s got to be an end somewhere. Sam said the exit was near a pipe organ, right?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Terra gave her a firm nod. He studied the area they could see above the maze walls before noting something on the southern wall.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>There,” he decided, “Those are organ pipes. We should follow those and hope that it leads us to the pipe organ Sam talked about.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua smiled as she gave an agreeing nod. The two collecting their bearings for a moment before heading toward the pipes. Having them as a point of reference helped. The pipes extended well up into the ceiling, making it easy to see over the high walls of the maze.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>How much further do you think we have to go?” Aqua questioned after they had gotten pretty far. They kept moving as Terra tried to get a rough estimate of their position. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>He was about to answer when a voice shouted, “Naw, you three cheated! But I guess a deal’s a deal…” Not long after, the walls of random junk started to break apart again. Terra and Aqua stood close to each other in defense of the departing objects. The ballroom once more opening up to reveal that the duo had not been far from their target, and the group who actually reached the pipe organ had been Ventus, Sabrina, and Leona. On top of the organ itself was Screeching Sam. He didn’t look very pleased.</span>
</p>
<p>“<span>Those two didn’t even get to make it out.” the ghost huffed, looking over at Terra and Aqua. “Rude.”</span></p>
<p>“<span>And yet you still let up the maze.” Sabrina noted with a raise of her eyebrow.</span></p>
<p>“<span>Yeah, well,” Sam grumbled, “You had a cheating head in a glass ball helping you out. My fun was gonna end eventually.”</span></p>
<p>“<span>So now you’ll let us into the library?” Madame Leona impatiently questioned.</span></p>
<p>“<span>Yeah, I guess so. Here...”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Sam disappeared from his spot, and not long after a door to their left opened up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Let's go!" Leona stressed. "We have to find out they did with my library!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Right." the four Keyblade wielders agreed before heading toward the exit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>. . .</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Much to Leona's chagrin, the library had been overtaken by Heartless. Shadows ran around without a care in the world, Wizards were using their magic to take books off the shelves and send them flying, while Hook Bats took said books and further tossed them around the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What a horrible mess." Leona bemoaned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We'll get rid of them." Terra told her before heading in to take care of the Heartless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You know it!" Ven chimed in as he did the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua smiled at the boys, readying her own Keyblade in the process. She looked over at Sabrina and noted the frustrated look on her face- she had been stuck with carrying Leona again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sabrina, stay back and protect Madame Leona." the Keyblade master gently suggested. "We'll take care of the Heartless."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Sabrina didn't do that. If anything, she now wanted to do the exact opposite out of habit and spite. Her hesitation did not go unnoticed by the beheaded clairvoyant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sabrina!" Madame Leona shouted, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, alright." she grumbled before going to safer ground. Aqua watched her to make sure they got away before spotting a Wizard that had started to follow them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh no you don't!" Aqua decided before casting Aeroga to get its attention. The spell hit the Wizard, effectively making it turn to notice Aqua. It was all the distraction she needed to rush at it to cut it down. With that one down, her attention turned to the others. In the back of her mind, Aqua noted that they would have to clean everything up once the Heartless were defeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leona had directed Sabrina to a spot where no Heartless could easily reach them. It also had a fairly good view of the library overall, allowing the two of them to watch Terra, Aqua, and Ven make short work of the Heartless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The three of them have a very strong bond." Leona noted without prompting. "You can see it in the way they fight- even when they're apart, they frequently call upon each other for strength. But there are still secrets that they hold from each other. Those secrets are what could potentially break their trust if they let them fester for too long. Although, some of those secrets are too harmful to even say. It will test their friendship, regardless."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Nice to know the spirits of Wasteland feel like gossiping again." Sabrina retorted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes." Leona agreed, perhaps a bit ignorant of the teen's sass. "Things are a bit calmer now, but only for the moment. There will be other turmoil ahead. The quest to return these three to their proper mission is partially complete. Perhaps even by the end of the day."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Assuming the Mad Doctor is even going to comply." the teen grumbled. Her sight had fallen onto Ventus. He had decided to focus on the Shadows as his primary target. They were able to surround him, but his quick and flighty movements cut almost all of them down in record time. He was too busy with the Shadows that he didn't notice a Hook Bat making its way toward him. The creature rocked back a bit in preparation to attack him, but was stopped as Terra rushed forward. He gave Ven a preemptive cry of "Ven, duck!" before swinging at the Heartless. Ven got out of the way just as the creature became nothing more than a plume of smoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Your hatred toward past betrayals is going to hinder the growth you seek."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina looked down at Leona before looking back at Terra, Aqua, and Ven. "Oh yeah?" she quietly mused, as to not garner anyone else's attention. "What fortune cookie did you get that off of?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leona let out a bemused snort, but was just as easily serious again. "Darling, you and I both know that there is only so much you can learn in this world. You need to explore other worlds to properly grow. However, we also both know that your natural inclination is to distrust others. </span>
  <span>
    <em>Don't</em>
  </span>
  <span> let that stop you. Seeds grow in darkness while underground, but they come to bathe in the light as they mature. Your time in the ground is over, Sabrina. It is now time to welcome the light."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina held Leona tight. Her thoughts dwelling on the clairvoyant's words as Terra, Aqua, and Ven finished the last of the Heartless. The three regrouped to where Sabrina was hiding out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They're all gone now." Ventus proudly beamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The library is yours again, Leona." Aqua also added with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good." the beheaded clairvoyant sighed. "Come, Sabrina. You know where my pedestal is."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The teen gave a stiff nod before heading down to the main floor of the library. Sitting on the landing platform for the stairs was a dark wooden pedestal. It had been knocked over by the Heartless earlier, but it didn't take much for Sabrina to place it where it was meant to go again. With Leona on her little perch once more, she let out a contented sigh as the four wielders gathered around her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you very much, you four." she gratefully said to them. "Now, what was it that you needed? Oh yes. The Mad Doctor is in his attic today. Unfortunately, you will have to shut down his Beetleworx Replicators before meeting with him proper. The only true information he has to tell to you is about the keyhole. Everything else should be taken with a grain of salt."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you Madame Leona." Terra thanked, even giving her a respectful nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Think nothing of it." she then said. "But here, there is one last thing I can do for you. There is a painting to the left of me. It has a secret passage that can grant you access to the attic. It's the only way up without the projectors."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you very much Leona." Aqua also thanked, giving a kind smile. "Sabrina, do you know what painting Leona is referring to?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Unfortunately." the teen mumbled before motioning for the others to follow her. They did so without hesitation- something about being a small session of ‘follow the leader’ ticked away at Sabrina's nerves for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The climb through the secret passage was spent in silence. Years of going through the dark passages in Dark Beauty had well trained Sabrina for the lower light conditions. She had to be mindful of how far away the others were from her though. The only one who seemed to navigate the dark well enough was Aqua. There had to be a story behind it- she didn't seem the type to wander the secrets of a castle because boredom struck her often.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They came out of the passageway through a small hole that placed them at the attic's rafters. There seemed to be enough room for them all, although how much weight the poor rafters could hold seemed a bit dubious. From here, Sabrina grimaced at seeing the Beetleworx below them. Thankfully, the machinations hadn't noticed them yet, so they were just wandering around the area like listless bodyguards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Where's the Replicators?" Terra whispered. It was rather unnecessary, considering how high up they were and the teeny fact that Beetleworx were more sight oriented than sound. Not that he really knew that, but it's not like Sabrina was going to correct him either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"There, there, and there." she said, pointing out to each Replicator. Two were directly across from each other, while the other was toward the north side of the room. "They don't know we're here yet, so it could be used to our advantage. Just taking out one Replicator would be a good idea before charging down in there, though. The third Replicator by that vault looking wall should probably be the last we take out. Wherever the Mad Doctor is, that last one will definitely get his attention."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Got it." the three friends agreed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, Sabrina wondered if these three did anything without agreeing with each other first. The thought made her fists clench in (what she assumed was) jealousy. But there wasn't time to dwell on that now. The Mad Doctor had answers that they needed, and they were going to get his attention one way or another.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Disassemblage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the Mad Doctor leaves a riddle, Oswald blows a fuse, and Sabrina makes a choice.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Fun fact: this chapter is almost 45 words longer than the first chapter. Considering what's about to happen, I'd say it's worth it.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"We should split up." Sabrina suggested. "It will be faster that way, and we wouldn't have to worry about whatever weight these rafters can hold."</p>
<p>"Right." the other three agreed.</p>
<p>The teams were made without much thought put into it. Aqua was paired with Terra, leaving Sabrina to work with Ventus. The older duo went to the closer Replicator and started to work on it. Sabrina and Ventus had to be more careful getting to the Replicator that operated on the other side of the room.</p>
<p>"What do we need to do?" Ven asked Sabrina when they reached the console controlling the Replicator. The rafters were a rather weird spot for the console, considering. It was roughly at their height, and didn't seem to have much protection over it than a computer-like terminal. The platform it sat on was just as dubious- there was just enough room for the teens and the console to stand on, but without much wiggle room. One wrong step, and either teen would fall to the ground below.</p>
<p>
  <span>"We could just outright smash it, stopping the reproduction of Beetleworx altogether." Sabrina offered with a roll of her shoulder. "The other option is to shut it down with command prompts. But, the only way to do </span>
  <span>
    <em>that</em>
  </span>
  <span> is by knowing the prompts to begin with. The only good thing is that we could have them fight for us with the third Replicator."</span>
</p>
<p>"Which one are we going to do?" Ven curiously asked. At this, Sabrina just gave him a confident smirk.</p>
<p>
  <span>"Which one do </span>
  <span>
    <em>you</em>
  </span>
  <span> want to do?" she just as easily asked back. The question had caught him off guard for a moment. A mischievous flicker in her eye kept him just as bewildered.</span>
</p>
<p>Was she opening up, or did she really hate the Mad Doctor that much?</p>
<p>Regardless, before they had a chance to decide, a high pitched noise came out from the console that made both of them flinch. Sabrina had taken a step back in defense, but had gone just a hair too far. She careened over the edge with a surprised scream.</p>
<p>"Sabrina!" Ven gasped as the teen fell from the rafters. There wasn't much he could do to help her- only watch as she fell square on her back. A small cluster of Guardians appeared for a moment to break her fall, but the impact still looked like it would have knocked the wind out of her. For a small, fearful second, Ven thought she had been seriously hurt. It wasn't until she let out a low groan of pain that he relaxed a bit. The Guardians, too, just as easily dispersed at her response; it almost made you wonder if they had been there at all.</p>
<p>"Ow." Sabrina retorted without a sense of humor. She took her sweet time sitting back up again. It wasn't until she brushed herself off that she happened to glance up. There, staring right at her, was a Beetleworx.</p>
<p>"If I fall off another high ledge again..." Sabrina hissed under her breath as she drew her Keyblade.</p>
<p>"Head's up!" Ven declared before also dropping down. He struck the Beetleworx from the top with his Keyblade, jumping off to swipe its side to make a blow that caused the creature to explode. He looked up at Sabrina with a proud smile. She thanked him with a sneer.</p>
<p>
  <span>"I was fine on my own!" she spat at him. "Now Terra and Aqua have to fix </span>
  <span>
    <em>both</em>
  </span>
  <span> Replicators on their own!"</span>
</p>
<p>"I just want to make sure you're safe." Ven admitted, now feeling a bit bad for Terra and Aqua. "You're not exactly the most experienced of Keyblade wielders at the moment, and these guys are pretty overwhelming in mass."</p>
<p>Sabrina glared at him for a moment. But in noticin more Beetleworx were coming their way, she gave him a vague gesture to get ready to fight.</p>
<p>"Touché." she agreed though, as he also prepared to fight. "But next time? Take out the Replicator first. It would make taking these guys down a lot faster."</p>
<p>"Right." Ven agreed with a nod.</p>
<p>"Are you two okay?"</p>
<p>At the same time, Sabrina and Ven looked up to see Terra and Aqua look down at them in worry. Apparently, they had decided it was easier just to smash the Replicator console.</p>
<p>"Just focus on shutting down that last Replicator." Sabrina shouted back.</p>
<p>"Yeah! We got this!" Ven gladly agreed, giving his friends a sign that they had it under control. There was a moment of concern from Aqua, but Terra put a hand on her- indicating that the best they could do for help was to do as they were told. The master seemed a bit at odds on this, but agreed regardless.</p>
<p>"We'll come to help you when we get the other console under control."</p>
<p>"Whatever. Just do it!" Sabrina snapped as she blocked an attack from a large Beetleworx outfitted with cannons. Aqua gave an affirming nod before she and Terra started the careful trek to the console Ven and Sabrina had been booted from.</p>
<p>"Don't worry about them." Ven then said to Sabrina. "We can probably clear out most of the Beetleworx before they even take out the console."</p>
<p>"I wasn't." Sabrina told him with a little raise of her eyebrow. "You are way too optimistic about this, though. We're still outnumbered, you know."</p>
<p>"At least you're not doing it alone." he just as easily replied. He turned to give her a confident grin. Sabrina stared at him before her attention was turned back to an oncoming Beetleworx.</p>
<p>"You just don't give up, do you?" she questioned.</p>
<p>"On what?" Ven asked as he rushed at another Beetleworx.</p>
<p>The grip Sabrina had on her Keyblade tightened slightly. "Never mind," she then mumbled.</p>
<p>Ven tried to get a read on her expression, but his thoughts were put on hold when another Beetleworx with cannons tried to aim at him.</p>
<p>The duo worked together to take out as many Beetleworx as they could. Along the way, Ven tried to offer Sabrina some tips on how to reserve her strength. At the same time, she would give him offhanded remarks on a certain Beetleworx's weak spot. It really felt like Terra and Aqua were taking their sweet time dealing with the Replicator console. When a series of Beetleworx stopped attacking the teens, and instead focused their efforts on their own and the third Replicator, that was when the young duo gave each other a confused glance before looking up at the rafters.</p>
<p>"Who figured out the code?" Sabrina questioned, almost in genuine approval.</p>
<p>"I did on accident." Terra sheepishly admitted. "The password was 1933."</p>
<p>"And it was such a good password too before you troublemakers came along," a new voice spoke up.</p>
<p>The foursome were immediately at attention as the Mad Doctor himself came forward. The older looking man was shorter than Aqua, his white lab coat stained with odd colored spills, and his moustache with goatee did not give the best of confidences toward his moral alignment.</p>
<p>"You could have just knocked, you know." he then told them before going into a belly laugh.</p>
<p>
  <span>"As if you wouldn't have taken it as an opportunity to run." Sabrina accused him. "Rumor is that you know where this world's keyhole is. Tell us. </span>
  <span>
    <em>Now</em>
  </span>
  <span>."</span>
</p>
<p>"A keyhole?" the doc hummed. "Hmm... It's been awhile since anyone's seen one of those around here. In fact, it's almost been about the same amount of time we've seen other wielders around here. Are those Keyblades genuine? May I have a little look-see?"</p>
<p>"In your dreams!" Sabrina spat before starting to rush at him. She was immediately held back by Terra- his strong grip digging into her shoulder with enough pain to make her wince.</p>
<p>"Please, sir," Aqua then spoke up, "If you know where the keyhole is, we would be well indebted to you. I don't know why this world was disconnected from the others, but we can fix that. Just tell us where the keyhole is, and we can leave you to your attic."</p>
<p>"Indebted to me, huh?" the Mad Doctor mused, stroking his goatee. "A tempting offer. But would it be worth all that effort? Let me ponder on it some more..."</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're stalling!" Sabrina shouted, succeeding in getting out of Terra's grip. The Mad Doctor turned his gaze to Sabrina alone. He gave her a malicious smirk as he took a step forward. Sabrina also stepped forward in a silent challenge. It only served to amuse the doc even more.</span>
</p>
<p>"You're a pretty smart child, Sabrina." he said to her with a roll of his wrist. "How could you not guess that the keyhole is where the battle ended, and a heart was forced to sleep?"</p>
<p>"You say as if that's helpful." she spat. "But that's not telling us where-"</p>
<p>"Sabrina, look out!" Ven shouted, forcing her out of the way of a Beetleworx that was prepared to shoot at her. The Mad Doc let out a sinister chuckle at the distraction.</p>
<p>"Don't let him get away!" Sabrina demanded as she tried to force Ven off of her. But it had already been too late; the Mad Doc ran back into something resembling a snow globe, and took off with a nasty cackle.</p>
<p>"Great." the teen now hissed. "Now we'll never find out where he went."</p>
<p>"We should reconvene at the castle, then." Aqua suggested. "Perhaps Oswald will understand the clue better than we can."</p>
<p>
  <span>Sabrina did nothing but grimace. "We should," she begrudgingly agreed. She then flashed Ventus a dark glare. "And next time, when the only guy who can solve your problem will split at the first distraction, get </span>
  <span>
    <em>him</em>
  </span>
  <span> instead of protecting </span>
  <span>
    <em>me</em>
  </span>
  <span>."</span>
</p>
<p>"I just didn't want you to get hurt." he sheepishly replied- even absently rubbing the back of his neck. "The Mad Doctor was important, but so are you. Maybe even more because... because this world needs you, Sabrina. I can't explain how, I just know it."</p>
<p>Sabrina looked at him like he was insane. When she cast her eyes down, there was a small sneer of disgust etched to the corner of her lips.</p>
<p>"Come on." she finally grumbled. "Standing around isn't going to help us."</p>
<p>
  <span>Aqua, Terra, and Ventus gave each other a confused </span>
  <span>glance</span>
  <span> before the four started their way back.</span>
</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p>Sabrina did not waste any time after the train stopped at the Dark Beauty station. She got out and quickly looked over the area for a bunny child. When she saw one, she called out to it, and it came over to her in curiosity.</p>
<p>"Where’s Oswald?" she asked the bunny child.</p>
<p>It gave her a curious tilt of its head before telling her, "Papa was visiting Mama."</p>
<p>"This is going to get ugly." Sabrina mumbled under her breath. She stood up again to face Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to fill them in. "Oswald's at the fireworks control room. What's there is... Let's just say that it's important that you don't point out the obvious. Got it?"</p>
<p>The three friends just looked at each other in confusion before turning back to Sabrina. They gave her equal nods of agreement. The teen just let out a hard sigh. She started to lead them through another shortcut through the castle that brought them up to the higher levels. In one of the spires, was the fireworks control room. It was a simple room in all said and done; several switches that surely set off various displays were in rest. On top of one of the main consoles was a stone statue that was not much taller than Oswald himself. Unlike Oswald, this person was a female cat with a skirt and hat. Oswald was looking up at the statue and seemed to be making conversation with it. Sabrina tensed in hearing her own name, then started to move faster over to him.</p>
<p>"She's alive." was the first thing Terra said upon seeing the statue.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Aqua asked him. She tried to have a quieter tone as to not disturb Sabrina as she got Oswald's attention.</p>
<p>
  <span>But Terra couldn't quite put into words how he knew- he just </span>
  <span>
    <em>did</em>
  </span>
  <span>. He started to carefully move forward as well, completely ignoring the small conversation Sabrina and Oswald were having about the current situation. An instinct in Terra made him call out his Keyblade. He wasn't sure this was the right choice, but he couldn't just watch another heart struggle to be heard.</span>
</p>
<p>Noticing that Terra was readying his Keyblade at the statue, Sabrina stopped mid-sentence to immediately place herself between him and it.</p>
<p>"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded.</p>
<p>"She's alive in there, we have to get her out."</p>
<p>
  <span>"And you don't think we </span>
  <span>
    <em>haven't</em>
  </span>
  <span> tried that?" Sabrina spat at him. "As long as her heart is sleeping, then nothing bad can happen to her. So just leave her </span>
  <span>
    <em>alone</em>
  </span>
  <span>."</span>
</p>
<p>Terra put his Keyblade down, but his anger was starting to flare. "But she's-"</p>
<p>He wasn't the only one getting more angered at the situation.</p>
<p>"Leave. Ortensia. Alone."</p>
<p>"Terra..." Aqua gently cut in, placing her hand on her friend's elbow. "You don't know how she got to be that way, so it's best we leave her alone for now. Sabrina is right, in a way- as long as her heart sleeps, she's safe."</p>
<p>"But Aqua-!" he tried to refute. Seeing Aqua's gentle gaze eventually made him relent.</p>
<p>"At any rate," Oswald spoke up, albeit a bit timidly, "You say that the Mad Doc gave you a clue on where the keyhole is?"</p>
<p>"He did." Ven agreed. "He said that the keyhole is where 'the battle ended, and a heart was forced to sleep.' We thought that you would have a better idea of where that could be."</p>
<p>"Nice to know that he was feeling helpful today." the old rabbit snorted. Then he went into a contemplative silence. "It sounds familiar though. But where?"</p>
<p>
  <span>"I was wondering if it was someplace before the Thinner Disaster." Sabrina suggested. "I </span>
  <span>
    <em>would</em>
  </span>
  <span> have asked, but he got away before then."</span>
</p>
<p>"Would he even suggest a place that isn't even accessible?" Terra wondered.</p>
<p>"I'd like to think not..." Oswald sighed.</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't forget that Madame Leona assured us that he would tell the truth about the location too." Aqua added. "It </span>
  <span>
    <em>has</em>
  </span>
  <span> to be somewhere that we are able to reach."</span>
</p>
<p>"In that case..." Oswald mumbled as he started to pace. "A place where the war ended, and where a heart was forced to sleep...? I feel like I should know..."</p>
<p>Sabrina also went into a thoughtful trance. The idea sounded familiar to her too, now that her anger for the Mad Doc was shoved away for now. The answer hit them at the same time. Both exclaiming, "Mickeyjunk," in complete bewilderment. It only served to make the other three very confused. Oswald was the one to turn to them, and tried to fill them in.</p>
<p>"Mickeyjunk Mountain was where Ortensia and I sealed a menace called The Blot. The Blot was the creature that kickstarted the Thinner Disaster to begin with. It was where Ortensia..." the rabbit trailed off to look back at the statue. It didn't take much longer for the trio to put two and two together.</p>
<p>"We'll leave for Mickeyjunk Mountain right away." Aqua promised, breaking the silence. "Once we secure this world's keyhole, we'll be able to return to our mission. At the same time, we can possibly offer Gummiphones to you two as well. It will come in handy to have you guys in contact with King Mickey and the others."</p>
<p>“Mickey?!” Oswald suddenly exclaimed. His expression just as quickly darkened as he demanded, "Why would we want to be in contact with that rat?"</p>
<p>Aqua looked at him, giving a bewildered blink. "The king is also a strong Keyblade wielder. With his help, we can help you restore Wasteland."</p>
<p>"I don't want his help!" the rabbit shouted, stomping his foot on the ground. His sudden fury putting everyone on edge. He turned to Sabrina before growling, “Sabrina, I have tried to be open, to let you grow because it's what Ortensia would have wanted. But knowing that Mickey was behind this?! No way! Not anymore! I refuse!”</p>
<p>Hearing this made Aqua stand taller. “But the king-”</p>
<p>“<span>Your 'king' is the reason why we're stuck in this hellscape!" the rabbit just as easily cut her off. "Wasteland was a beautiful place, but when the Thinner Disaster hit, do you know where my brother was? Nowhere. Mickey Mouse </span><span><em>abandoned</em></span><span> us. He abandoned his own </span><span><em>family</em></span><span>!”</span></p>
<p>"Your brother?" Terra questioned in surprise.</p>
<p>"He wouldn't do that!" Ventus also decided.</p>
<p>"Oswald," Aqua then tried to soothe, "Even if he had a reason, people change. It wouldn't hurt to-"</p>
<p>
  <span>"No!" came the furious rebuttal. "You three can go up to Mickeyjunk alone and get the heck out of here. As far as I'm concerned, your use for us is over. We are </span>
  <span>
    <em>through</em>
  </span>
  <span>. Get out of my castle. Get out of my world!"</span>
</p>
<p>"It's not just your world."</p>
<p>At the unnatural softness in her voice, everyone turned to Sabrina in surprise. Her gaze was downcast as her face read a certain hurt of her own.</p>
<p>
  <span>"You may be king of this world, but you're not the only one living in it." she went on to say. She still refused to look at anyone as she went on. "There was a time, before the Thinner Disaster, where we traveled between worlds. It was mostly just our world and Mickey's, nothing too complicated. Then, just days before the Thinner Disaster, the routes out of this world were sealed off by an unknown force. Even if Mickey could have helped us, I don't think he would have been able to. We were lost in the Ocean Between. </span>
  <span>
    <em>No one </em>
  </span>
  <span>would have found us."</span>
</p>
<p>"If Mickey truly abandoned our family back then..." Sabrina took a shallow breath in before telling them all, “Then I guess I am now too.”</p>
<p>"What are you saying?" Oswald hissed at her- his tone making it unclear if he was angered or afraid. But she refused to answer him. Instead, she looked up at Ortensia's inert form, and only at Ortensia's inert form.</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm sorry, Mo- Ortensia." she said, quietly, with a small crack in her voice. "But I can</span>
  <span>'t... I </span>
  <span>
    <em>won't</em>
  </span>
  <span> live</span>
  <span> in a world where I'm not allowed to grow on my own terms."</span>
</p>
<p>Gathering her resolve again, she gave a hard look to Aqua, Terra, and Ventus.</p>
<p>"Meet me at the train station. We've got to go through Ostown before we can even think about scaling Mickeyjunk."</p>
<p>The trio gave her a nod, along with a word of agreement, before letting her leave the room. After that, the air became deathly quiet.</p>
<p>"Keyblade wielders always ruin everything." Oswald growled before turning his back to the friends. To which they remained silent.</p>
  </div></div>
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